Alliance Royal Armada

by Kenshul

After the fall of the Terran Empire the Alliance controlled Mirror Universe finally seemed at peace. Unknown though that while the Alliance was distracted a new foe quietly built up its army and would plunge the quadrant into an even fiercer conflict.

19. The Line in the Sand

Chapter Nineteen: The Line in the Sand

Mission
After the destruction of a Romulan scout vessel in the Corlidemia sector, one thing becomes clear to the Alliance: the Romulans are coming to destroy the Kendra Alpha shipyards. Resources spread thin, the Kri'stak is sent under the command of Koltarn to stand alone between the Bajoran station and the Romulan onslaught.
Mission Date:
263rd day in the 2369th of Molar

Feeling the ground shift beneath his legs he could tell that they were dragging him along. Where they were dragging him too he could only guess at. He wasn't even certain that he was indeed being dragged, the sensation of movement could have been caused by the immense pain that was swimming about his head, but since the officer appeared done with him he assumed that the guards were dragging him back to his cell.

Up ahead he heard a few passing guards gloating over the Star Empire's recent victories, and about how the war was sure to end in Alliance defeat soon. Again he found his mind to be wondering; this time whether the guards were speaking the truth or simply passing along more of the propaganda fed to soldiers by their superiors. It was hard to imagine that the Romulans had such an advantage over them, but then again the war had not been favoring his side when he was captured. In fact it was because of the tide that he had been captured. Mounting losses had prompted desperate actions, and that desperation allowed for his downfall.

A new wave of pain hit him as the sunlight dimmed and the sounds changed from idle chatter to painful shouting. Undoubtedly he was now inside of the building set apart to hold prisoners of war, and would momentarily find himself back in the comforts of his own cell. Strange as it might seem, he welcomed this prospect. Not because he enjoyed the cramped room that he was forced to share, but because within the cell's confines came safety; momentary safety from the torturing hand of the base's commander. That safety was a welcoming thing to him as it was only in those moments could he find the strength to continue on and to continue to resist the temptation of breaking to the Romulan's will and giving up in his struggle.

Without warning he felt his legs rise up off of the ground and his entire body being sent through the air. There was a hard thud and a fresh sensation of pain as he hit the ground. Hearing laughter come from just ahead he imagined the guards were enjoying the opportunity to toss about a strong officer of the Alliance such as himself. How pathetic they were to gang up on him when his strength was diminished. If they had taken him on before his capture, or even been patient enough for him to recover from the harsh and brutal torturing, then he would have ended their laughter. For now though he was forced to simply sit here in stagnation and recovery; licking his wounds in wait for the moment when he could rejoin his people's fight and bring about the Romulans defeat once and for all.

Carefully he tried to open his eyes, but even that simple task caused him a great deal of pain. During his latest 'chat' with the base's commander he had been hit in his right temple very hard by what he could only guess at. Whatever instrument had been used it had left a mark, both by the throbbing pain of his skull and by the swelling that had turned his right eye useless. Even though his right eye was a lost cause at the moment he knew that he still had another eye at his disposal, and it was with that eye that he focused his efforts. There may not have been much to look at in the small stone room, but at this point he felt that anything would be better than the depthless black that was currently his world.

Only after giving it much effort was he finally able to open his left eye and take in the desolate view of his surroundings. Quickly taking everything in, he looked for his Breen cellmate, hoping to find some conversation and something to take his mind off of the pain. There was no sign of him. Being absent, he wondered what had happened to the soldier, fearing that the Breen might have been killed or at least laying gravely wounded. Despite only knowing the man for a short time a bond had formed between them due to their shared incarceration, and their shared hatred for the Romulans that kept them locked up. Seeing no sign of the Breen now he shifted uneasily, worried what might have become of the man. He didn't get the chance to worry long though as a pair of gray boots across the room caught his eye. For a moment he thought the boots might belong to his cellmate, but that assumption was quickly tossed aside as he realized with disgust who was standing before him.

"Ah, I'm glad to see that you're conscious," the boots' owner said as he took a step forward and realized the prisoner's condition. "It would have been such a shame if I had come all this way only for you to fall asleep on me."

For a moment he thought he had imagined the voice, that it was nothing more than a delusion brought on by his injuries. Deep down he knew that wasn't the case, but how could he possibly be before this man again? He had just left the base commander's presence and left the cruel hand which had been dealt. And yet here, clear across the compound and in the safety of his cell, he was once again in this Romulan's presence? Collapsed upon the dirtied ground he found it impossible to wrap his mind around such a thing.

"I know I know, we just got through talking," the Romulan said as he began to pace back and forth across the room, all the while keeping his eyes locked on the Klingon before him. "But I couldn't help but to feel that something was on your mind, something that you were just so eager to tell me."

"I'll never tell you a thing pa'tahq!" he shouted as he struggled to stand up and move towards the Romulan. Regaining any sort of standing posture proved more difficult than he thought though, as a fresh wave of pain rippled from a broken rib. Losing his balance, he tumbled back down to the ground, seething as he did so.

Watching as his wounded prisoner tumbled back down upon the ground the Romulan couldn't help but to laugh. "Come on Koltarn, we don't have to be enemies here. Just because our governments can't get along doesn't mean we can't be friends."

"Friends?" Koltarn asked with utter contempt. "After all the suffering you have brought to me, to my people, you want to be friends?"

"Ah, you must understand that was out of my hands. This war has forced all of us into positions which we would normally be disgusted with, such as my own. I was given orders, and sadly I had to carry them out or face consequences." Trying to sound as diplomatic about things as possible the Romulan approached the wounded Klingon and bent down to look him eye to eye. "Surely, as a fellow soldier, you can appreciate such a position."

For a moment Koltarn felt like laughing at the sheer futility of the commander's efforts to gain his trust and friendship. Did the Romulan before him actually believe he was stupid enough to fall for such an obvious ploy to gain information from him? Or was the commander just growing desperate about the fact that he had been unable to get anything from Koltarn? Realizing how much his lack of cooperation was surely infuriating the Romulan commander, Koltarn's determination to hold out was suddenly reaffirmed. "Appreciate this," he muttered before sending a thick string of saliva to land upon the Romulan's face.

Patience tested and anger now fully consuming him, the commander lost the last bit of restraint he had and suddenly found his hand colliding with Koltarn's right cheek. Once the Klingon lay sprawled upon the floor the Romulan commander walked over to the door and summoned two nearby guards who were eagerly awaiting their chance to show the Klingon soldier the regard they had for his kind. Bursting through the door they circled the wounded Klingon form and began kicking him with the full force of their boots...

Suddenly Koltarn shot up in bed, dripping sweat and feeling wholly disoriented. It took him a moment to realize where he was. That he was in his quarters aboard his new command, the Kri'stak, and that his cell on Carraya IV was now a pile of rubble left in the wake of Commander Mulkrit's rescue of him. Once he felt that the haunting dream had fully passed, Koltarn got off the black slab that made up his bed and walked into a small adjoining room.

Stumbling into the room Koltarn reached for the inset button that would fill the room's sink with water. As it slowly filled he stood there for a moment, thinking about the dream he had just awaken from. Even though he had lived through the horrors of being a prisoner of war, and done so with the utmost strength and resolve for not letting the pain overwhelm him and cause a slip of the tongue, he still felt horrible about it. He should have died on Delpox II, died alongside Turax and the rest of his men. Instead, the Romulans stole from him the chance to die in combat and stole his honor by forcing him into the role of captive. Being Klingon, he couldn't help but to feel ashamed by this fact.

To add further insult to his honor he was constantly haunted by dreams of his time spent on Carraya IV. Each time he let his mind slip into depthless unconsciousness he found himself back in that prison cell and back under the guards' harsh treatment. The fact that his imprisonment bothered him so much as to haunt him further shamed the once proud Klingon warrior. How could anyone respect him as a warrior if they knew that he couldn't simply shrug off the pain of being captured and move on with his life? It was one thing to be captured and forced to live in enemy hands for a Klingon, entirely another for the experience to bother him. At least bother him enough to cause him to fall into such despair.

Frustration boiling up inside of him over the matter, he let out a scream and suddenly smashed the mirror in front of him with his fist. The Romulans had taken so much from him, so much from his people, and yet still they persevered. They persevered despite the entire known galaxy being against them, and they persevered with such a smug attitude that made Koltarn physically sick. He wanted to crush them, hoping that act would help him to fully regain all that had been lost. Within his being he knew that their death wouldn't bring his salvation, but maybe it could bring the salvation of so many innocent others.

Staring at the cracked and shattered mirror Koltarn couldn't help but to feel as though his reflection was now an accurate one. In the wake of his capture and subsequent release he felt as though his being had become such a fragmented thing. In one aspect the events on Delpox and Carraya caused him to feel shame and question his value as a warrior of the Empire. In another, those events merely served to fuel his anger and his hatred towards Romulans. They who withstood the Alliance onslaught for so many years and did nothing but inflict more pain upon the worlds that he was pledged to protect. Tightening his fist he knew that the war had to be ended, and soon. Too many lives had been lost over the course of the war, and if they did not do something to bring about the Romulans' end and the war's end soon then everyone that had died would have done so in vain. Pushing all other matters aside he realized that this was his true purpose; the purpose for which he had been spared on Delpox and kept alive in the prison camp. For the sake of Turax and all others who had died by Romulan hands he vowed that this end would indeed come.

Having his mind fall to some sense of composure he cupped some of the cool water and splashed it across his face, feeling as though all of his worries and fears were now washed away. His experiences in the Romulan prison would be with him for the rest of his life, whether he chose to acknowledge them or not. Knowing this he also knew that to let the memory of those experiences consume him would ultimately do nothing but to help give the Romulans a complete victory over him. There was a war raging on outside of his mind, and in that war his people were struggling against impending death. In that struggle he was needed, needed by his people to turn the tide against the Romulan threat and eliminate that threat once and for all. Koltarn was determined to be there to fight back that threat and to do whatever it took to make the Romulans pay for what they had done to him.

Suddenly his thoughts were broken into by a soft chime as someone signaled from beyond his quarters' door. Completely unhappy about having to be bothered, he simply shouted "Come in," before dipping his hands back below the cool water's surface.

Slowly the room's door opened and in stepped his first officer. While he was nervous about bothering his commanding officer, especially when it was made so apparent that his commander didn't wish to be bothered, he showed no sign of it. He was a seasoned officer, having fought against the Romulans for the entire course of the war. After seeing and surviving all that he had there were few things that truly bothered him. Coming to speak with his commanding officer was not one of them, even though he knew that Koltarn's reaction to the news he brought would be an unfavorable one. Still, orders were orders, and in the throes of war all a soldier like him had left to hang onto were those orders and the ideals that clung to them.

Noticing that it was his first officer who had interrupted his thoughts, Koltarn felt that the interruption was surely warranted. Dral'k was a fine officer and had been decorated a half dozen times during his service in the war. It was this reputation that had made him a fine choice for first officer and caused Koltarn to choose him for such a duty. There was nothing that he seemed unable to do and truly his courage and honor were among the best that Klingon society had to offer. All these qualities and more helped Koltarn to know this man better than merely a glance could provide. If he was here then surely he had a reason for it. Looking over his shoulder at the silent officer he just gave Dral'k a glance that told his first officer that whatever was on his mind he should just tell his commander and get it over with. Taking in the gesture given to him by Koltarn, Dral'k cleared his throat before relating to his commander the recent news and recent orders that they had been given.

"General Martok has sent us new orders, sir." pausing for a moment Dral'k saw that the word 'orders' got the attention of his commander before continuing on. "Word has been sent that a Romulan scout vessel was seen in the Corlidemia sector approximately sixteen hours ago."

"The Corlidemia sector?" Koltarn muttered to himself, trying to remember what significance that name had. When it came, it shocked him so much that without even thinking he suddenly shouted in confusion "The Kendra Alpha shipyards?"

Giving a nod Dral'k added "A Romulan task force has already been dispatched. If our information is correct, then they will be at the station in just under twenty-two hours."

Reaching for a towel and wiping his hands dry Koltarn quickly did the math calculations in his head. At present, the Kri'stak was roughly twenty hours away from the Bajoran station. Even if they went full warp and used every last bit of energy the ship had, they would still arrive with only two hours before the Romulans attacked. That was of course assuming the intelligence reports were correct. Once this question was overcome his mind fell to another question that was even more dire. "Why, being so far away from the station, were we sent this information?"

This question was the most important one to Dral'k, because to answer it would give the worst bit of information that Martok had given him. "Our forces are getting spread pretty thin. The second and fourth fleets have been pressing our advantage in the Ventati system, and most of the third task force is staving off the Romulan assaults in the Reta'ul system. Because of this, we are the closest ship to Kendra Alpha, and the only one that stands a chance of making it on time."

When this news hit Koltarn he felt the full impact of it. An entire task force had been sent to sweep clean the shipyards and they were to face it alone? It was a suicide mission! Surely everyone picked up on that fact right away. He knew how valuable the Kendra Alpha shipyards were and how vital they were to the Alliance's success over the Romulans in this war, but to send only one ship to defend those shipyards seemed an unnecessary waste of a powerful ship and a fine crew. With resources as low as they were he just couldn't simply believe that General Martok would send them on a suicide mission.

Making his way out of the adjoining room he looked over his first officer, trying hard to mask the disbelief he was feeling. "What are our orders?" he asked, fearing that the words 'to the death' would be found woven into them somehow.

Taking in his commander's face General Martok's orders rang clear in his head. The look that Koltarn had, showed to the trained eye that he was a warrior that was void of a death wish, and that sadly the essence of what it meant to be Klingon had been lost in him. Knowing this, Dral'k figured that their orders would sit much better with his commander than with him. "The Bajoran's feel like the best course of action in this matter is to abandon the shipyards and use the self destruct on them."

"Oh?" Koltarn asked with interest as he stood before his first officer. He knew that not all of their allies had the same amount of courage and dedication to the war effort as the Empire did, but he never thought he would hear about any of them so blatantly turning tail from the enemy; especially from a base as crucial as the Kendra Alpha shipyards.

"Under protest, the other governments have agreed that abandoning the shipyards might be in our best interest. Considering all the lives and resources that would be lost if the Alliance were to put up a fight, plus the chance that the Romulans might be able to capture it before we can destroy it ourselves, has caused the other governments to agree with the Bajorans." The tone that Dral'k used as he delivered these words made it obvious that he himself did not agree with such a decision. He felt that for honor's sake they should stay to defend the shipyards against their Romulan foe, even if it brought about their own demise. But in the end he was merely a soldier, and soldiers followed orders. "Our orders are to protect the Bajorans as they evacuate and set the auto destruct, and then to rendezvous with their ships in the Gamma Eridon system."

Hearing these orders Koltarn didn't know whether he should feel relieved or upset about the prospect of ducking out of a fight. Something deep in his being was glad that his life was not the price he would have to pay for the evacuation of Kendra Alpha, yet the fact that they would be running from the enemy bothered him to the core. He was Klingon, and a soldier for the Empire. Being a soldier, he had been taught and ingrained with certain ideals, and one of those ideals was to never run from the enemy. No matter what he lived through or what he faced that ideal would always be there, a part of him, ready to make itself known whenever it felt compromised.

After standing there and mulling over their orders the two soldiers finally fell back into reality and took notice of how their crucial time limit was continuing to dwindle away as they stood there in silence. Looking around for a moment and seeing no further reason for them to stay, Koltarn gestured for the door and followed his first officer's lead out of his quarters and into the hallway.

At first neither soldier chose to speak. Appearances seemed to show that they enjoyed the stillness between them, but that stillness was only there because neither man could think of a thing to say. In calmer days there could be so much for a first officer and his commander to talk about, but in these days of war that seemed to be the only subject that rested in their minds and came to their lips. They were both so sick of this war: of the loss, the pain, the death, the blood. Both men knew that the other would gladly forgo any mention of what was going on if they could, and so as they stepped into the turbolift and made their way to the Kri'stak's bridge they stayed silent.

The moment the turbolift stopped and the two Klingon officers stepped onto the bridge Koltarn could feel a rush of tension come over him. Ever since their last engagement with the Romulans in the Dalaneb sector, the Kri'stak had been ordered to patrol the border between Alliance and Romulan space. Being on the border forced a constant state of readiness into the crew and that state made tension steadily rise to nearly a breaking point. They felt strained and on edge after having to spend several weeks in this state and they all longed for the wait to come to an end and for the storm to simply hit. News of their mission to defend Kendra Alpha would surely give them a new focus and a new ease. Like Dral'k though, they were almost sure to not like the part about abandoning the station during a fight.

Looking over his bridge crew Koltarn carefully wetted his lips as he readied himself to tell them of their glorious new mission. A mission they had all longed to be a part of for several weeks, now only to have it come to them with a price, the price of another sin to be brought down upon their honor. Clearing his throat and getting the crew's attention he knew this price to simply be another demand of war that left a bitter taste in the mouth of a soldier.

"My fellow soldiers of war, I stand before you with good news." Moving to stand next to his captain's chair he took in their expectant gazes and he could feel the sting of a politician's tongue creep its way into his mouth. "By order of General Martok, we have been selected for an important mission. A dangerous mission that will truly test our resolve against our mortal Romulan foe."

Before Koltarn could even continue on the mood of the surrounding crew already began to change. The promise of a mission against the Romulans, a mission that they had been hand selected for by the Empire's fleet general Martok, left each of their beings overwhelmed by an excitement that only comes with the promise of battle and glory. Knowing that this is how his crew felt it almost pained Koltarn to continue on.

"According to our intelligence reports there is a Romulan task force on its way to the Kendra Alpha shipyards in the Corlidemia sector. It has been calculated that they will be within striking distance of the facility in just under twenty-two hours." This new information brought with it the promise of insurmountable odds. Odds that were sure to bring about unparallel glory to the Klingon warriors should they manage to stave off the Romulan threat. While their excitement over the mission they were about to dive into doubled, Koltarn took a breath and gave them the hardest part of their orders.

"Our orders," Koltarn began, using all of his resolve to not falter in his words as his crew's minds shook off the newfound excitement to focus solely on their commander once more, "are to engage the Romulans to buy the Bajorans enough time to evacuate the station. Once the last of the Bajorans have evacuated, the station will be set to auto destruct and the Kri'stak is to break off and fall back to the Gamma Eridon system to rendezvous with the surviving Bajorans."

The order of a withdrawal from battle against the Romulans left each of the present soldiers understandably shocked. Throughout the course of the war there were so few instances where the Klingon hierarchy had ordered a vessel's retreat that it was nearly unheard of. For a warship as powerful as the Kri'stak to be given such an order was more than simply unheard of, it was unbelievable. Vessels of the design were built solely for one purpose; the annihilation of any and all enemies of the Empire. By giving this order was nothing short of denying the ship of its purpose.

"These orders came from General Martok?" Gorz'k asked from behind his tactical station, confusion and disbelief apparent in his tone.

Looking over his tactical officer Koltarn understood where the man was coming from. Along with everyone else aboard the ship they were soldiers, but more than that they were people, with their own ambitions and desires to be fulfilled. If there was one desire that they surely all held in common it was the desire to bring about the swift demise of any Romulan they encountered, and thus a swift end to the war. Glancing towards Dral'k for a moment and getting a silent confirmation from the first officer that the orders did indeed come from the fleet general, Koltarn simply said in response "Yes, yes they did. And as orders they must be followed."

A whole new state of shock seemed to run through each of the present soldiers as they could scarcely believe the glorious Martok would bestow upon them such a demeaning fate. "Sir," Gorz'k began to protest as Koltarn took his seat in the bridge's center. The word brought the two Klingons' eyes together and there was a brief pause before the tactical officer continued on. "The general just couldn't do this to us. He just wouldn't give us such orders, ones that only a fool would follow."

With these words the stolid Klingon commander couldn't help but to let out a sigh. Deep down he knew that his tactical officer was right, that Martok's orders were ones that no honorable Klingon could blindly follow. Be that as it may, they were still orders. "I don't like it anymore than you do Gorz'k; than any of you for that matter." Koltarn started, keeping his gaze ahead and distant. Slowly he turned to face his crew as his words continued. "But whether or not we like our orders is not debatable. They are simply that; our orders. And we are in state of war. A violent and costly war against a mortal threat. This is not the time for hesitation in carrying out our orders, our duty. For hesitation brings about only one thing, death. Death for us, and for those that are depending on us. We might not always understand or agree with what we are given, but to falter in following what we are given is nothing but faltering in our resolve to end this war; in our desire to end the Romulan's slaughter of countless civilians across countless worlds once and for all. Now I ask you, my fellow soldiers, is that something in good conscience you can admit too? Do you really want to give our enemy any chance to survive and come at us, to destroy us once and for all? For that is all that our pointless questioning and bickering will result in; giving the Romulans a chance to defeat us." Looking over the bridge and at each of his crewman's faces in silence Koltarn simply let his words sink in for a moment before he finished with "I for one refuse to let that happen."

A sobering realization came with Koltarn's speech, and that realization was not lost on any who had heard their commander speak. The war they currently were living, and dying, in was a tenuous one. One in which victory could easily shift to either side on a whim. Spending their time fighting each other, instead of fighting their common enemy, would only serve to aid the Romulans in their campaign. Like Koltarn, this was simply something they could not allow. Too much had been lost, too many had been lost, for them to so carelessly throw it all away.

Once his commander had finished speaking Gorz'k looked at the other bridge officers and immediately felt bad for speaking against their orders. Regret is not something that comes easily to a Klingon warrior, and it didn't sit well with this particular Klingon either. Still, he decided that the best thing to do was to put the entire matter behind him and focus back onto his duty. Walking briskly across the bridge and taking his station he keyed a few things on the panel before returning his gaze to Koltarn and simply saying "Ready for orders, sir."

Though Koltarn hated using his words in such a political fashion, he was glad that they had not been in vain. All around him his crew returned to their stations and returned to the still readiness they had been in for several weeks now. "Set course for the Kendra Alpha shipyards," he ordered the helmsman before him. After giving a confirmation to his commander, the officer punched in the necessary commands and the Kri'stak sped off towards the shipyards and towards an unknown fate.

In the hours that passed while the mighty Negh'Var class warship made its way to the Corlidemia sector very little happened. The crew waited at their stations restlessly for the soon to come onslaught, and even Koltarn was unnerved. Despite the fact that their orders included with them a retreat they all still knew the insurmountable odds that they would be facing. They would have to hold the line against an enemy fleet of unknown size, buying the Bajorans enough time to evacuate. Deep down the prospect of what they would be facing started to sink in, but instead of letting those thoughts turn into fear they simply shrugged them off, and awaited in dulled anticipation of their arrival.

While his nerves were alive with anticipation, Koltarn couldn't help but to nod off. His dreams had been haunted by nightmarish visions of what he endured while being captured, and as such it was becoming nearly impossible for him to get any kind of decent sleep. This left him to quietly slip into unconsciousness during moments of stillness. Even though he slipped into a half-asleep daze, he was not free from the terrors of his past. Often, as in this instance, he would find himself back on Carraya, back in the prison camp...

The sun was bright and gleaming above him, but this was not a day that Koltarn wanted to spend outside. Nor did any of the other prisoners, and yet they had been lined up in the blistering sun nonetheless. From the row of prisoners the guards had picked two souls, as they did every ten days or so. Today it was a pair of Klingons, fresh captives that had not spoken a word since being brought to Carraya. They were brave soldiers indeed, bred from the stock that Koltarn could really admire. Even as they were led from the group they were silent. When their hands were bound to a metallic loop set into the wall they still remained silent. Though they had not been imprisoned for long they still had to have known that their lives were about to be ended, and that it was all to be billed as a grand show for the guards and these brave souls' fellow prisoners.

Flashing a sadistic grin, the Romulan commander ordered his two best marksmen to take point. Without hesitation, they raised their disruptor rifles and carefully aimed for the two Klingons' chests. There was a pause, as if the guards wanted to get one final reaction from the men they were about to gun down. Then all at once the triggers were pulled, a flash of green light exploded from the guns, made contact with the two men, and they slumped against the concrete wall.

As Koltarn and the other prisoners watched on they could do nothing but hold a solemn presence. While he watched on, Koltarn could only hope that the pain of the blasts would quickly send their bodies into shock as they were slowly being vaporized. It was a horrible way to die, and a painful one at that. Despite what surely was excruciating pain the two fallen soldiers refused to give even a whimper of discomfort. Their blood began to seep through the tattered uniforms they still proudly wore, and their eyes stayed forward, locked onto the poor souls that would have to endure a captive fate.

Looking upon the noble souls Koltarn grew to become more than an admirer of their bravery, he became inspired. In gunning down prisoners at will the Romulans hoped that those that were forced to watch would grow to fear their captors, and would ultimately capitulate to the commander's demands. Whenever there was an execution however the opposite happened. Instead of being cowered, they were energized. So far all the Romulans had done by this play was create martyrs; and in times of war there is nothing more inspiring than a martyr. By killing their fellow brothers and sisters of war all that was done was to solidify the Alliance prisoners hatred of Romulans, and their desire to see them destroyed once and for all.

Turning away from the gruesome sight of the Klingons' death Koltarn found the Romulan commander to be looking back at him. The Romulan was also saying something, but he couldn't quite make it out. Squinting his eyes in the bright midday sun, he saw that what was being mouthed was his name...

"Koltarn. Commander Koltarn, sir."

As the Klingon soldier stumbled back into consciousness he heard his first officer calling his name, trying to rouse him from the slumber he had fallen into. Becoming aware of what had happened Koltarn sat up in his chair and made an attempt to pretend that he had not fallen asleep while on duty. "What is it, Dral'k?" he asked in a gruff voice.

"Sir, we have arrived at the Kendra Alpha shipyards," Dral'k replied as he gestured towards the view screen.

Quickly pulling himself up Koltarn took a few steps forward, focusing intently on the image before him. The Kendra Alpha shipyards were truly an architectural marvel, and undoubtedly the greatest achievement by the Bajorans in the entire two centuries since they had achieved space travel. At any given time it could crew up to two hundred thousand troops and service nearly two dozen vessels simultaneously. Throughout the course of both the war with the Terrans and the one with the Romulans it had acted as a staging base for several campaigns, including the Proxima campaign which had virtually ended the Terran insurgency against the Alliance. Truly this installation had played a vital role in all of the Alliance's key victories, and now they were to just stand by and watch it be turned into a dust field.

"Sir, we are receiving a hail from the shipyards," a young officer said from behind Koltarn.

"Patch it through lieutenant," he said, only vaguely paying attention to what was happening around him.

"Commander Koltarn, this is General Darzyk." With these words the image of the grand shipyards faded on the view screen and was replaced by the image of a steely looking Bajoran.

"Is there something I can do for you general?" Koltarn asked in a harsher tone than should have been used. It didn't matter to the Klingon though if he stepped on this Bajoran's toes. The Kri'stak was here for a very specific purpose, and neither he nor his crew had the time to waste on any frivolous matter that Darzyk might have come up with.

Koltarn's curt tone offended Darzyk, who saw himself as king of his particular mountain, but he wasn't about to let the offense stand in the way of the job that had to be done. Too much was at stake for him as well. "I'm sending over my CAG, Commander Taegris, to discuss the battle strategy which we have devised to hold the Romulans at bay until the evacuation is complete."

There was something in the way that Darzyk had spoken that Koltarn didn't like in the slightest. He couldn't quite put a finger on what that something was, but the tone that the Bajoran general had used made it seem as though Darzyk didn't believe that Koltarn and his fine crew could keep the Romulans occupied alone. By suggesting that he and his CAG already had decided upon everything without even consulting Koltarn only made the Klingon soldier all the more frustrated. "Very well," Koltarn crisply said before giving his comms officer the signal to close the channel.

In the wake of Koltarn's brief exchange with the shipyard's general, Dral'k held the same sentiment as his commander, but he was less reluctant to hold his tongue about it. "Arrogant pa'tahq," was all he said though with a shake of his head.

Hearing his first officer's words Koltarn felt like giving a small laugh, but considering how serious the circumstances were he decided to forgo it. "Dral'k, I'll be in the war room. When Taegris beams aboard then escort him there."

"Yes sir," Dral'k replied with a hint of weariness. This was not a task he accepted with open arms. As a soldier during war time he was best in the throes of battle, not diplomacy. Still, he knew that such things regrettably had to be done.

Once Dral'k had left to fetch the Bajoran CAG, Koltarn made his way across the bridge and through the war room's doors. Inside he felt the chance to simply exhale all of the emotions that had been building up inside of him since learning of their orders. In the presence of his subordinates, whether they were someone he respected as much as Dral'k or not, he felt as though he needed to project a calm and level manner; one which would help to keep the crew's morale up and their focus on the battles ahead, not inside. This need sometimes became an unwelcome burden on him, and it was only in these few moments of solitude where he felt he could fully relax and consider everything. Solitude for him was fleeting though, and just as he was beginning to let himself ease then the Klingon first officer returned, followed by a brash looking Bajoran.

"You must be Commander Taegris," Koltarn said the moment his eyes fell upon the Bajoran soldier. At the mention of his name Taegris looked back at the Klingon commander and the two stared at each other for a moment in cold silence, sizing the other up, before Koltarn broke to address his first officer. "Dral'k, I want you to perform a battle readiness drill and make sure everything is ready for when the Romulans arrive."

"Aye sir," Dral'k said followed by a crisp salute. Turning on his heels and exiting the room he was glad to get away from the politics of war and the situation that was undoubtedly about to arise.

The moment the room's door slid shut behind Dral'k and left the pair to themselves then Koltarn outstretched his arm. "Have a seat Taegris, and tell me all about this brilliant plan you and the general have come up with," the Klingon commander said with obvious sarcasm.

Forgoing the invitation, Taegris decided to simply flat out speak. "Before anything else is said, you should know that this was not my idea," came the Bajoran's words in a tone that hinted irritation.

"Now, not only are us Klingons not good enough fodder to help plan how to defend this installation, but also to not even be told of what those plans are?"

Sensing how short Koltarn's fuse was Taegris decided to quickly explain himself. "That is not at all what I meant. In fact it's the opposite." Pausing for a moment to let both himself and the Klingon before him calm down he added, "If it were up to me we wouldn't even be abandoning the shipyards, let alone planning a retreat without hearing from everyone who is expected to die while Darzyk and the others turn tail and run."

Hearing this from the Bajoran CAG, Koltarn's opinion of him quickly began to change. In the rush of getting here as quickly as possible Koltarn had been unable to pull up the war records of anyone he might have to die alongside. With nothing to go on, he had assumed that everyone in charge would throw their feelings behind those that wished to flee. He was surprised by the attitude of Taegris; pleasantly surprised in fact.

"I am just a dog of this war. A role I'm sure you can sympathize with, Commander Koltarn. And as a dog I do as I'm told." There was something in the Bajoran's voice that sounded like sadness, or maybe desperation. Whatever the feeling was it surely was something that all Alliance soldiers could sympathize with in these endless blood soaked days. "If I may though," he said as he gestured to the tactical screen that was placed on the wall behind him.

The more that Koltarn heard from this Bajoran soldier then the more he indeed sympathized with him. Quickly, he hoped that this initial impression would stand the test of battle as he gave a nod for the man to continue.

Moving to the table, Taegris glanced over the small control panel for the screen before tapping the needed buttons to bring up a map of Kendra Alpha and the surrounding space. "Here are the shipyards," Taegris said, pointing to an obvious cluster of beige structures in the center of the screen. "And here is where we expect the Romulans to deploy their forces." Several green dots appeared in front and to the left of the structures with a few more taps to the control panel.

Taking a step forward and absorbing everything in thus far Koltarn couldn't help but to rethink something that Taegris had just said. This map showed where the Romulans were expected to be deployed. In war, very little went by the book. More often than not the ensuing chaos was about as predictable as a K'tarian game of Whisk. Before scrutinizing anything further, Koltarn decided it best to simply hear the entire plan.

"Now, we only have five squadrons of Assault class vessels to help the Kri'stak defend the station."

This revelation caught Koltarn off guard. "Only five squadrons? What about the vessels that are regularly stationed in this sector for patrol?" he couldn't help but blurt out as he turned around to face Taegris.

"The only other vessels here were ones that were under repairs. Those vessels were sent out of harm's way to the Dotalar III shipyards the moment we picked up that the Romulans were on their way."

When this news came to Koltarn he didn't quite know how to take it. Part of him was expecting the sector patrol to provide at least some back up for the Kri'stak, yet he knew it wouldn't be so easy. Despite the lack of help from the patrol, the situation had changed very little. The Kri'stak would have to face the Romulan onslaught alone. Although they would have the support from five squadrons of Assault vessels, Koltarn knew that in the end these noble vessels would be of little help. They were little more then kamikaze fighters, and as such made for easy targets. Still, it was better to have them fighting alongside the Kri'stak then for the mighty Klingon vessel to be fighting alone.

"If the Kri'stak can be positioned here," Taegris said as he tapped a button and a new gray dot appeared on the screen "then it should serve well for protecting the shipyards themselves."

Noticing where the Bajoran commander had decided to place his mighty warship Koltarn suddenly felt a little distressed about the plan. "But the Kri'stak is positioned directly in front of Kendra Alpha, in plain view, right where the Romulans surely are expecting it to be."

"Precisely," Taegris said with a slight smile. Seeing confusion grace Koltarn's face at these words he decided that a full explanation of the plan was in order. "In placing the Kri'stak here, right in plain view where it's expected to be, then we will draw the Romulans full attention to it, and away from anything else."

"And the Assault vessels?" Koltarn asked as he studied the map and tried to picture the Bajoran plan in detail.

"They will be placed here," Taegris said as he keyed up another sequence and a series of small dots appeared near a moon, "just behind the moon of Corlidemia IV."

"Then when the Romulan fleet moves in to take out the Kri'stak and Kendra Alpha, the Assault vessels will come out of the moon's shadow and strike at the fleet's rear." Koltarn said, half in his own thought and half finishing Taegris' thought.

"Exactly," the Bajoran CAG replied, letting his slight smile grow as he spoke. "The Romulans will be completely caught off guard, giving those on the station enough time to evacuate."

It was a bold plan, Koltarn had to admit that. Not often did a strategy of this nature come from anyone outside of Klingon ranks, and for that the Bajoran should have been congratulated. Despite how inspiring the tactic might be though, it still didn't sit well with the stolid warrior. "No," he muttered at first, not aware that he was speaking out loud. "This won't work at all."

Being swept up in thoughts of how the plan was to play out, Taegris almost missed the comments made by Koltarn. Hearing them however, did nothing but knock him down from his envisioned pedestal to a confused state upon the ground. "What do you mean, it won't work?" he asked with genuine curiosity.

"Well, it's just a little too textbook in my opinion." Koltarn said flatly, keeping his gaze on the map and its layout of the surrounding space.

"Go on," Taegris urged.

"I mean..." For a moment Koltarn was unsure how exactly he should explain things to the Bajoran soldier. It was one thing to see something and reason to yourself about it, entirely another to put words to that reason and explain it to someone else. Still, knowing the circumstances, he gave it an effort. "Corlidemia IV is the closest planet to Kendra Alpha," Koltarn began.

"Yes, it is," the Bajoran said, trying to follow along.

"So it would make for the logical choice to hide any reinforcements from the Romulan sensors when they drop out of warp. That is why you can't place your vessels there."

"The moon of Corlidemia IV is the closet point to Kendra Alpha that isn't out in the open. That makes it the best shot for a quick response, and quick support, to come from our squadrons to aid the Kri'stak." Taegris furthered, trying to explain the reasoning for placing the vessels there.

Turning away from the map Koltarn took in the sight of the Bajoran soldier and exhaled some stale air. From the expression on Taegris' face the Klingon knew that so far the Bajoran did not understand what he was trying to say. "We have been at war with the Romulans for a decade now. In that time we have engaged them in countless battles and employed every conventional strategy conceived. And what do we have to show for it? Nothing but casualties, lost worlds, and destroyed vessels. If we are to defeat the Romulans today, or ever once and for all, then it is time to throw the book away."

Taking a step forward and looking at the map for himself a moment, Taegris considered Koltarn's words. While the plan that had been decided upon by Darzyk was not inspired, he had hardly had thought of it as conventional. Rubbing his chin for a moment Taegris considered the fact that perhaps he had been stuck in that backwater prison, and away from the field of battle, for far too long. "Do you have something in mind then?" he asked Koltarn, deciding that the Klingon's words were more than worth consideration.

Something in mind? For some reason the question caused the Klingon soldier to stare blankly at his Bajoran comrade for a moment. Being in a position of command, Koltarn was not completely a stranger to having to decide upon tactics for battle. Throughout the course of the war he had been forced to do this several times, sometimes even in the heat of battle. Considering the statement he had just given to Taegris the moment before he should have expected that he would need to pull a plan out of his sleeve. Yet still, for some reason, he hesitated.

In the next moment Koltarn found himself turned back towards the tactical map, staring intently on the plan laid out by the Bajoran CAG. The protection of the Kendra Alpha shipyards was crucial, and Koltarn knew this fact very well. Knowing how vital it was that those aboard the shipyards were given the time to flee put all the more pressure on him to come up with a plan of brilliance. Slowly, his hand drifted across the layout, searching for something indescribable. Seemingly by random it stopped, and as Koltarn looked at where his hand rested he almost cursed himself as an obvious and daring plan stared back at him. "Of course," he muttered, both to himself and to Taegris, who was standing nearby.

Hearing these brief words come from the Klingon did nothing but pique the Bajoran's curiosity. At first Taegris didn't want to interrupt whatever thoughts might be running through Koltarn's head, and instead he simply looked at where the Klingon had placed his hand. Taegris had hoped that by doing this he would be able to divine the Klingon's plan, but rather then understanding anything more clearly he simply asked "The Corlidemia star?" as his confusion grew even more.

"Yes, of course," Koltarn muttered to himself once again as a plan started to unfold in his mind. It was so obvious to him now, and that he was unable to think of it before made him feel all the more ignorant in this war. He had little time to scold himself though, as Taegris' abrupt question pulled the Klingon warrior out of his own world and back into the one around him.

"Of course what?" Taegris found himself asking as his curiosity mounted and began to turn into angst.

Hearing the tone of the Bajoran's voice made Koltarn all the more aware of what was going on, and of how desperate the situation was about to become. "What is it about this situation that bothers you the most Taegris? What do you want, being a soldier during a time of war, to do here today the most?"

Neither of these questions seemed to make much sense to Taegris, and all he could do was stare back at Koltarn in confusion as the Klingon soldier turned away from the screen and faced him once more.

"The Romulans," Koltarn started, hoping to somehow jog Taegris' mind and lead him to the point that Koltarn himself had realized moments ago. When it became apparent that the Bajoran was still not following, Koltarn decided to go one step further. "The worst part about all of this is that we have to retreat, knowing that the Romulans here today will live on to come at us again. That we, as honorable men and soldiers, have to allow this. For Klingons, it is one of the worst things we might have to endure. I imagine that sentiment is not far from your mind as well, Taegris."

While he might not have had a code of honor to uphold as strongly as any Klingon soldier, the thought of retreat was no less welcoming to Taegris. He had accepted this sin against him as simply another cost of war, but something about Koltarn's words suddenly sparked hope in the Bajoran soldier. "Go on," Taegris said, staring intently at the Klingon before him.

"This war has gone on far too long for us soldiers to allow the line to fall back any further. It's time we take a stand, my brother in arms. And we are going to do it by destroying that Romulan fleet right here today."

"But how?" Taegris suddenly blurted out. "Between your warship and my squadrons we don't have nearly the firepower to contend with the sizable fleet the Romulans have sent." Pausing for a moment Taegris tried to emphasize this point before adding another point. "Even if we could stand a chance, we have a duty to Darzyk, to the Alliance, to ensure that Kendra Alpha does not fall into Romulan hands. If we change our resolve and our focus against the Romulans then we will be unable to focus on our true goal here."

With a slight smirk the stolid Klingon simply said "We can do both, ensure Kendra Alpha's destruction and the destruction of the Romulan fleet."

"How?" the Bajoran soldier couldn't help but to ask with slight desperation as he still didn't understand where Koltarn was going with all of this

Tapping on the screen as his hand still rested on the image of the Corlidemia star Koltarn asked "Kendra Alpha has a supply of Tri-Cobalt warheads, correct?"

"Correct, but why do you..." Suddenly Taegris' mind found itself pulling together the pieces that Koltarn had laid out. In mid-sentence it had begun to sink in, and he couldn't help but to let the situation wash over him as it all came together.

"We use the warheads and detonate them inside of the Corlidemia star, vaporizing both the shipyards and the Romulan fleet in the process." For some reason Koltarn felt the need to voice this aloud, as though by doing so made the plan real and tangible; but more importantly, possible.

"It's a risky plan," Taegris admitted as the full scope of Koltarn's idea hit him.

"Nothing worth doing is ever without risk," Koltarn countered. "Besides, it's the risky plans that are remembered, that are sung about in glorious song." With this statement an odd smile found itself on the Klingon's face. The idea of battle had not brought this kind of excitement to him in a long while, and as he thought about the looming conflict and the daring plan he would bring down upon the Romulans he felt something else that he had not felt since before his capture; he felt whole.

"How do you suggest we deliver the warheads to the star?" came the Bajoran's question as his voice broke into Koltarn's otherwise blissful moment.

"Well," Koltarn started as he gave the matter some thought, "can you rig one of the Assault vessels to fly by remote?"

"Under different circumstances, probably. Unfortunately, most of the station's equipment was already shipped to Dotalar III along with the vessels that were under repairs."

"Hm," was all Koltarn could think to say as he placed his free hand on his chin and tried to come up with a different way to deliver the weapon. "If we can't fly a ship in by remote, then that only means..."

"That someone will have to fly into the star manually." Taegris said, interrupting the Klingon's words and thoughts. Both soldiers knew what this meant, and they both looked at each other with grim realization at what that statement meant. Someone was going to have to make the ultimate sacrifice for the Alliance, and for the war. Koltarn began to open his mouth to say something, but Taegris already knew what the Klingon was about to say. "I will fly the vessel carrying the warheads." he said, trying his best to mask any emotions he had at the moment.

"I should be the one to do it," Koltarn couldn't help but to say to the honorable Bajoran man before him. "It's my plan," he added, trying to sound as selfless as he could. In reality Koltarn was not completely over the lingering suffering of his capture by the Romulans those many months ago. Though he would never admit it, part of him wanted to die, knowing that death would be the only way to bring solace to his restless soul. In disgust this part only made him feel even more worthless of the uniform he wore, but if he could be given the chance to die in honor for the good of his people then just maybe the daily sin of fear that he couldn't help but to commit would be forgiven, and his soul would be pardoned into Sto-Vo-Kor.

"No commander, your place is here. Your place is leading the charge, and holding back the Romulan line until it is my time to complete the mission." Pausing for a moment and seeing nothing of optimism in the Klingon face before him, Taegris couldn't help but to try and add some hope. "Besides, I know the systems of an Assault class vessel far better than you. I can set course and still manage to hit the eject button, get picked up, and warp out of the system before everything hits."

Placing a hand on the Bajoran's shoulder Koltarn couldn't help but to admire the man's courage and resolve. A thousand factors were stacked against Taegris' survival, and yet he didn't waver in the slightest. Truly he had the heart of a Klingon beating in his chest, and in that moment Koltarn felt honored for knowing him.

"I must be getting back aboard station," the Bajoran CAG said with a hint of despair in his voice as he nervously rubbed his hands together. "I have to make sure my pilots are ready, and that the warheads are properly fitted to my fighter." Suddenly something came to him and he almost voiced it, but ultimately he decided that where those fighters were placed was immaterial now, so long as they fought with honor and gave him the chance to wipe the smug look from each Romulan face that dared step into the Corlidemia sector on this day.

Looking across the room at someone who Koltarn felt so suddenly able to empathize with, he knew that he couldn't just leave Taegris at that. If the Bajoran was to sacrifice himself on this day then Koltarn knew that he would not be able to rest unless he made sure that the Bajoran did not go out so quietly. "Taegris,' the Klingon commander suddenly said, catching the Bajoran CAG's attention. "Stay for a moment. I have something I would like to give you."

With a confused look on his face, Taegris stepped back inside of the room and leaned against a nearby chair. Quickly Koltarn had exited the room, but as the stalwart Klingon returned Taegris almost smiled at what was in the Klingon's hand.

"You must have a drink of bloodwine." Koltarn said as slowly poured some of the alcoholic drink into two glasses. "Vintage '23, excellent year for bloodwine."

"Surely then it would be an ill-use of the stuff to waste it on a tongue such as mine," Taegris replied.

"I was saving this particular bottle for a special occasion, and what better occasion then to toast such a fine warrior? A warrior deserving of such a pleasure as this bloodwine," Koltarn said, handing a glass to Taegris.

Taking the glass and slowly sipping the drink both men found themselves suddenly in an awkward place. In the throes of war and death and conflict there were so few chances to enjoy the finer points of living. Ironically, it was those points that they were fighting and dying to protect.

Leaving a small amount of wine in his glass, Koltarn decided it best to raise it in a toast. Deep down he wanted to toast the chance that he was finally given to overcome his personal demons and to strike back at the Romulans, but he knew that in this moment something more was needed. "To those brave enough to hold back the threat of the twilight," he found himself quickly and simply saying. The action was quickly followed by a reply of the same from Taegris, before the two soldiers touched their glasses together and finished the last off the stuff.

Standing there and staring down into his now empty glass Taegris couldn't help but to run through a checklist of things that needed to be done, and how there was nothing now holding him still there. Before he tore himself from the room there was still one lingering thought that Taegris simply felt he couldn't remain silent about. "Koltarn," he carefully started, moistening his lips before continuing on. "Soldier to soldier, do you think this war will ever really end? Hasn't enough already been lost to cover ten lifetimes throughout the course of this war? And yet, here we continue to fight. For what, I'm not even sure anymore."

At this point Koltarn simply rested a hand on Taegris' shoulder and stared back at the Bajoran soul. "This war shall end my weary brother in arms, and it shall end with us as victorious. True as it may be that the light has grown dim over the past few years, believe me when I say it is still waiting for us at the end of the tunnel. How do I know this? Because we are the soldiers of fortune and of honor, and if honor cannot win on this battlefield on this day then surely our unceasing resolve will be enough to beat the drums of war until eventually the cowardice of the Romulans gives way so that we may prevail."

Taegris had never been fond of the wartime speeches dolled out by his superiors. Beneath the words he had always felt that politics and egos veiled what was truly going on. For some reason in this instant he couldn't help but to believe Koltarn, and to believe in the Klingon's words. Perhaps it was because he knew this Klingon, knew the man's history and his failings, and in the end knew this man to be genuine. Surely Koltarn had not been a soldier that had watched the war unfold from a plush office on his home world. This was a man who had been in the thick of it since day one, and would continue to do so until either he or the Romulans were defeated once and for all. This fact brought an odd sincerity to his words, a sincerity that Taegris not only acknowledged but respected as well. "Take care of my pilots," Taegris said with finality and a smile as he stepped out of the room, ready to face his fate.

For a moment Koltarn had to just stand there in awe of his own words. Being far out of the grasp of political aspirations had given Koltarn the ability to be more at ease with his men. The downside had always been a lacking when it came to words of motivation. In this case though even he was impressed, and as he took his turn to leave he carried with himself a renewed sense of strength that would last him throughout the ensuing conflict.

There was a very odd sense in the air as Koltarn sat waiting for fate's arrival. After Taegris had left the Kri'stak then Koltarn had seen fit to inform the crew of the plan he and the Bajoran CAG had decided upon. He had thought the news of the Romulans' imminent destruction would excite the crew and bring a new energy as they prepared for battle. For some reason, this had not been the case. Instead each soldier in Koltarn's company had kept a quiet reserve about themselves. The only thing that Koltarn could think to explain this reaction was focus. It was widely known throughout the galaxy that Klingons were a warrior race, but what wasn't so commonly known was that they were focused as well. Blind passion rarely came from a Klingon soldier. Instead Klingons simply turned all of their attention and focus onto the battle at hand.

For the past hour every conceivable battle drill and combat simulation had been gone over. They were ready, but for what none of them were certain. When this battle, and indeed the entire war were taken into consideration, was any of it really justified? As his crew kept busy around him Koltarn had remained in his command chair silently pondering Taegris' question. War never made sense he supposed, and the only reason he could give to their fighting was survival. But when did simply surviving satisfy the unceasing hunger of war? He was a soldier, and as such hardly bred for debates of the nature. Still, in the calm moments before the storm hit he couldn't help but to consider such notions; if even for just that moment.

"Sir we are picking up several ships dropping out of warp," suddenly came from the sensor station, breaking through the silence and the nervous calm that had set into the Kri'stak's bridge.

Gripping the arms of his chair Koltarn thought to himself about how the true battle was about to begin. "On screen, lieutenant."

With a tap and a slight beep an image appeared on the screen. None of those present could have prepared themselves for what was then shown, and as the full scope of what they were about to face hit them then suddenly each soldier felt their own demise was very near.

"That's no task force," Koltarn said in a shushed awe as he rose from his chair and took a step forward, never letting his gaze wander away from the view screen. "Someone was wrong, very wrong indeed," he furthered as he saw not a handful of ships, but a fleet numbering close to a hundred strong. The Romulans had not come to simply fight them, but to obliterate them and wipe clean the sector of their very existence. There was no way that any of them would live to see the day's end, Koltarn felt suddenly sure of this. If today was his day to die though, then there was only one way to face that death. "Open fire!" came his words with a coldness that seemed to embody the whole of the situation.

A moment after the order had been given, stillness was still firmly wrapped around the vessels and the surrounding space. The sheer size of the Romulan fleet had stunned the Klingon crew, and for a moment no one was able to move. Sensing this, Koltarn turned away from the screen to say something more to his tactical officer, but before he managed to get a single word out Gorz'k was able to slip back into reality and he pressed a button on the console before him, letting forth the firepower to ignite the battle ahead.

From the Romulan's perspective, or indeed from any outsider's perspective, the Kri'stak's actions were nothing more than sheer madness. Surely every Klingon aboard the mighty vessel knew it was suicide to take on that many enemy vessels, but knowing they were Klingons meant that such things simply didn't matter to them. While not suicidal by nature, every Klingon was born with such a deep and passionate honor code that reveled in moments like this. Battle was a part of them from day one, and very rarely did that part ever fade.

When the Kri'stak did open fire it did so with a blindness not often used in war. Whether by design or pure accident, Gorz'k had begun unloading the Negh'Var class vessel's payload in the direction of the Romulan fleet, but without any clear target. Under different circumstances this attack pattern would have done nothing but waste ammunition as the weapon's fire was sent spiraling past the Romulan fleet, leaving them unscathed. This instance was different however. With as many vessels as the Romulans had, and as closely packed as those vessels were, then the Kri'stak's random firing was able to strike at several enemy targets; scraping some while disabling others.

As in the Klingon's case only moments before, the Romulans sat there without returning fire for several moments. Assessing the situation, they couldn't believe the fact that only one vessel was defending the crucial Alliance shipyards, nor could they believe the audacity of the Klingon vessel as it opened fire upon them. It took a moment for both of these facts to sink in, but when they did the Romulans began an onslaught of their own. From Koltarn's mind only a few moments ago, the battle had now begun.

Making his way back to his chair as the ship around him violently shook with weapon impacts, Koltarn simply took in the rush of emotions his crew was now letting out. With a fleet of Romulan ships before him, and a Bajoran station behind him, Koltarn knew that this battle would not last very long. Especially if the Kri'stak simply stood still and took the brunt of the Romulan onslaught. Checking on a small side screen Koltarn made a quick note of the enemy layout, scanning for a weakness. When he found one he knew that the moment to take his strategy to the next phase was at hand. "Helm, take us about to coordinates four-five-nine," Koltarn shouted as something behind him exploded.

"Aye sir, coordinates four-five-nine," the young officer quickly replied.

With a violent shake the mighty Kri'stak began to move away from its entrenched position in front of the Kendra Alpha shipyards. Moving off was a gamble, leaving the shipyards themselves vulnerable and wide open to Romulan attack, but if Koltarn had learned anything about Romulans over the course of the war it was that they were far too cruel to leave any survivors to escape and come at them again later. Flying head on towards the Romulan fleet Koltarn couldn't help but smile slightly as the enemy vessels veered in response to the Kri'stak's maneuvers, exactly like Koltarn wanted them to do.

Several of the large Romulan D'Deridex class warbirds were the first to open fire as they readjusted their attitude to match that of the Klingon warship. Unwavering in its approach, the Klingon vessel simply struck back with everything it had. A volley of torpedoes tore through the lead warbird, turning its defenses instantly useless as it teetered into oblivion. Another Romulan vessel, a cruiser, was torn in half as several phaser blasts ripped through the ablative armor the Romulans had employed in its construction.

Playing out on the screen before him, Koltarn could almost feel the epic sense of it all. One ship, one mighty ship with a fine crew, staring so defiantly back into a sea of enemies. Surely the battle around him would one day be passed down to younger generations in song, and Koltarn knew that he would not simply let that song end on a somber note. Seeing that the Romulan's full attention was directed upon him and his vessel Koltarn signaled his comms officer to order that phase two of his plan commence.

The direction from which the Kri'stak approached had not been chosen at random. Since the Romulan fleet had turned around to face the Klingon threat, they had left their backsides facing the Corlidemia star. While this action would be crucial to the overall success of Koltarn's plan, in this moment something much more short term was at hand.

Unable to get a sensor reading of what was behind them due to interference from solar radiation, and completely blinded to the area due to their focus on the Klingon warship, the Romulan fleet was completely caught off guard as five squadrons of Assault vessels emerged from the sun's glare and came down upon them. Diving around and in between the Romulan formations let them strike at the heart of the enemy fleet without any retaliation.

The attack from where the Romulans had least suspected, from enemies they had been completely oblivious to, left the Romulan vessels scrambling. This was exactly how Koltarn had planned it. From the early Intel about the approaching enemy fleet Koltarn known that any sort of forceful attack had little chance for success. When the Romulans had actually arrived and he had understood the magnitude of the situation, then his plan had made all the more sense. Those aboard the shipyards needed time, and that time wouldn't be given to them if the Klingon vessel and its Bajoran support craft had been obliterated within the opening moments of the battle. Instead of simply fighting the Romulans with muscle, Koltarn knew that some tact was also in order for their mission to be a success. Bringing in the Assault vessels at this moment would ensure that success.

Instead of being a unified force against either to Klingon ship or the Bajoran station, the Romulans were scattered and confused. The moment the Assault vessels had opened fire and the Romulans realized what was going on then they had scrambled to swat the pesky ships out of the starry sky. Some of the Romulan centurions had remained focused on the Kri'stak and its destruction, while others had decided to try in vain to remove the new threat. Chaos and confusion thrived in this newly created atmosphere, and Koltarn was fully prepared to take advantage of the Romulans' panic.

"Gorz'k, target the warbird at coordinates twenty-seven alpha," Koltarn said as he saw only one remaining roadblock between him and destiny.

Without fear or hesitation, the Klingon soldier obeyed his commander's orders. Targeting an exposed nacelle, the tactical officer sliced it in two with a precision phaser blast, before sending a wave of torpedoes at the same coordinates. Upon impact the nacelle exploded and turned instantly into shrapnel. A chain reaction started at the loss of this nacelle, and quickly the entire vessel was engulfed in flames.

Twisting out of the Kri'stak's path, the Romulan warbird fell out of view. With the mighty Romulan vessel no longer before them, a gap in the enemy lines had opened up. Between the Bajoran fighter maneuvers and the scrambling of the Romulan ships a wide division had formed, leaving the innumerable Romulan fleet split in two.

Koltarn saw this instantly on the screen, and he almost marveled out how the battle was turning out. It was almost as if he were playing hero in some grand fictional epic. Before becoming too lost in the notion he shrugged it completely off. The battle around him was real, deadly real in fact, and the story of what was going on would only be told if he saw his mission through to the very end.

Though the Romulans were divided, their determination was as singular as ever. The fact that such a resistance was being mounted against them seemed to defy the laws of the universe. Laws aside, they knew that the mighty Klingon vessel was far from invincible. Several of the Romulan capital ships concentrated their efforts onto the Kri'stak, hoping to bring a swift end to the Klingon defiance.

Violently the mighty vessel shook around the Klingon warriors. Upon the view screen the image of the Romulan fleet grew ever larger as they approached. Rising from his chair, Koltarn took a step forward and became absorbed in the chaos he witnessed. Already a sizable Romulan loss had mounted, and from what he could tell only a few of the Bajoran Assault vessels had been obliterated. Where Taegris had recruited those pilots Koltarn hadn't a clue, but what he could tell was that they were surely among the best Bajoran society had to offer. Flying in tight to the Romulan vessels made them nearly impossible to target. Whatever fighters the Romulans had brought must have been quickly destroyed by the Bajorans; for Koltarn saw none. Nothing but glorious battle could be seen on the Kri'stak's view screen, and Koltarn loved every moment of it.

Though the Kri'stak was being blown away piece by piece, none of the Klingons paid any heed. Each one of them remained focused on their mission, and become oblivious to everything else. While he was doing nothing but standing there, Koltarn became the most focused of any aboard. Above him a whine came from the ceiling plating, yet he didn't show a sign of noticing.

Suddenly something hit Koltarn and he tumbled to the ground. Caught up in the heat of battle, it took him a moment to realize what had just happened. On top of him lay his first officer Dral'k, who looked over his commander for any sign of injury. Standing back up and dusting themselves off both men saw how the bulkhead had collapsed, and fallen right where Koltarn had stood moments ago. Dral'k had saved his life, but before Koltarn could thank the man he grimly noticed that the act had not been completely victimless, as a chunk of shrapnel was seen sticking out of the helmsman's neck.

Reacting quickly and with all of his training backing him, Dral'k pushed the slumped body aside and took a seat at the helm station. "What are our orders, sir?" he shouted as he settled into the panel and straightened their course.

For a moment Koltarn could think of no response. Everything had happened so quickly that he had to get his bearings once again. Staring ahead he saw from the corner of his eye the young Klingon's body, before focusing on his first officer who was now staring back at him. "If we are to die today, then let it be a glorious death!" he shouted before he gestured with his hand to increase speed and charge the heart of the Romulan fleet.

As the Kri'stak broke what was once the Romulan front line, the reality of the situation finally set in. All around the Klingon warship were the remains of Romulans and the vessels they had once commanded, and before them lay even more Romulans that were just moments away from death. In the mix and jumble of the Romulan fleet several small explosions could be seen. Koltarn could not tell whether they were the final salutes of the Bajoran pilots, or merely weapons fire that flooded the area. It didn't really matter to Koltarn what the explosions signified. He knew that it was time to end this battle, for better or for worse.

No longer with their Klingon foe placed before them, the Romulan vessels were forced to turn inward to try and stop the still threatening foe. Only one word had symbolized everything thus far, and that word and its meaning suddenly became all the more intensified. Chaos. Nothing but pure chaos consumed the battlefield as the Romulans threw everything they had in a frantic attempt to defeat the Kri'stak and its few remaining Bajoran allies. The Romulans became so frantic and desperate to destroy the Klingon vessel that they let their weapons lock falter, which only resulted in numerous friendly fire impacts.

Truly a battle of this intensity and this passion was what all Klingons dreamed to take part in upon entering armed service. Koltarn himself had seen both the highs and lows that war had to offer, yet in this moment he felt as inexperienced as a fresh recruit. One could live an entire lifetime and not experience the type of action that he was so absorbed in, and standing there Koltarn could do nothing but marvel at it.

With the Romulans now firing upon each other, whether by mistake or not, Koltarn suddenly found himself believing that he might live to see another day. At the battle's start the odds had been so stacked against him and his crew that it was inconceivable that they should survive. What the odds hadn't accounted for however was the strength and resolve that each member of his crew had in abundance. It was these qualities that Koltarn knew would help them to win this long and bloody war. He was certain of it.

Heavily entrenched within the Romulan lines, the Kri'stak continued to fire its entire payload. A handful of torpedoes struck a Romulan frigate, blasting it into debris. Blind shots came from the Klingon's phaser array, only to strike a cruiser's nacelle and causing a reaction that quickly vaporized the ship. All around the Kri'stak souls were being winked out of existence. Neither the death toll nor its own mounting damage phased the mighty ship in the slightest, as it simply remained focused on its objective to hold back the onslaught.

The whole scene became a blur of panic, of death, of killing, of merely fighting for one's own survival. Amidst this chaos concepts like headcounts and time itself became insignificant and were quickly lost. No one had a clue as to how long the battle had been going on, and it wasn't until a few words rose above the chaos then Koltarn or anyone else have a thought outside of the fierce battle they were engaged in.

"Sir, we are picking up a hail," came a shout from the comms officer.

Hearing this Koltarn wasn't quite sure who would be sending them a message. Shaking off the confusion, he suddenly remembered that indeed there was a third part to his plan. "Put it through, soldier!"

"Koltarn, this is Taegris," the Bajoran CAG's voice said over a fair amount of static. "The last of the evacuees have departed Kendra Alpha and I am making my approach to the Corlidemia star."

Koltarn couldn't help but to grin at this moment as he realized they had been successful, and that the Romulans, all of the Romulans, were about to face oblivion. "May the Prophets watch over you noble warrior," the Klingon commander said to the truly brave man that was about to sacrifice his own life.

What only Taegris knew in that moment was the look of glee upon his own face. Death was not something easily embraced in Bajoran culture, but for some reason in this instance he felt it was right. If he was to give his life in this war then this was how he wanted to give it. "Qa'pla to us all," he said in response, before muttering an old Bajoran prayer asking the Prophets to watch over his family on Bajor, and to guide his soul into the Celestial Temple.

"Signal the Bajoran Assault vessels to break off attack and head to the rendezvous coordinates." Koltarn ordered, assuming that there were any Bajorans left to hear the order. "Dral'k, get us out of here," he then said to his first officer.

While there were still a number of Romulan vessels around and in front of them, the stolid first officer wasn't about to let them stand in his way. Darting and weaving around both burning hulks and still combative targets, the Kri'stak headed for the other end of the Romulan fleet. Complete in its mission to simply buy time, it turned its entire focus on escape.

Both the Klingons and the Romulans sat unaware of what was happening on the other edge of the system. An explosion appeared on the star's surface as Taegris' vessel collided with it. There was a sort of 'pop' sound as the Tri-Cobalt warheads detonated within the corona. For a moment nothing happened, and the heavens themselves began to wonder if Koltarn's plan and Taegris' subsequent sacrifice had been in vain. Then, without any warning, the star collapsed in on itself before suddenly exploding. The resulting explosion sent a wave rippling across the sector and towards the littered battlefield.

Watching the approaching shockwave Koltarn grew anxious to leave. "What is taking so long?" he shouted to whoever could give him an answer.

"Our port nacelle took a hit sir," Dral'k responded as he tapped in some commands on the navigational console. "We've lost warp capability."

"So this is how it ends then," the Klingon commander simply said as behind him the once gloried Bajoran station was consumed by the shockwave and winked out of existence. Within moments it would hit them as well, and he almost laughed as he watched the Romulans scramble to avoid the shockwave and oblivion itself.

While Koltarn might have forfeited his last ounce of hope, Dral'k was not about to surrender to death so easily. Feverishly tapping in commands with one hand as his other worked on the wiring beneath the panel, he desperately tried to restore any semblance of warp power. Glancing up for a moment he saw the shockwave begin to consume the remnants of the Romulan fleet, and he worked all the more quickly to escape the imminent destruction. Believing that his idea had worked, Dral'k simply drew in a deep breath and closed his eyes before punching a command into the console.

Seconds before the Corlidemia star's final act claimed the Kri'stak as a victim, the mighty Negh'Var class warship's engines lit up, and it sped to safety. Having nothing left to devour into its own selfish greed the shockwave dimmed and faded away. Nothing had been spared in its wake. Not the Bajoran station, and certainly not any ships from the Romulan fleet that had dared entered its space on this day. What remained was a single ship. A ship, nearly destroyed with half its crew dead, and a story about how the Romulan's had threatened to push the Alliance into falling back, and of how that push had failed.