Osiris hid a tight grimace as the battered Jaffa reported over the Vo'cume.
A rebellion aboard one of her ships, not just the slaves but some of her Jaffa warriors turning against their master. The loss of the other two Ha'taks before her forces could regain control but a mission completed, the shipyard destroyed.
And better still, they had captured not one but three of the enemies ships in the process. The loss of two Ha'taks was… regrettable but the new prizes would more then make up for that. Pity she could not use Nish'ta on the surviving crews and put them to use directly in her service but the risk of an unintended electrical shock was too high.
Still, if she used Nish'ta on them anyway just to get some of their secrets… it was worth the attempt. It hadn't succeeded with many of the crew of the Earther warships she had captured previously; it appeared they had had the foresight to train them to resist mind control but there were always some who were even weaker then the rest of the cattle.
Still, that was a task for another time. Right now she had more important matters to consider, such as the punishment of her enemies. She was a God, it was time for her to stop skulking and hiding and make her enemies understand who was truly the superior!
And this Tec'on had proved himself worthy. He might make a good first prime…
Still, something about his story didn't quite fit with her; nevertheless… she would interrogate him personally. If nothing was amiss, then she had use for one such as him.
Carefully cultivating a displeased glare, she ordered him to report to her as soon as he returned. It would be best for him not to know that he had pleased her, not yet anyway.
"She believes,"
"She has to if this is to work," Dukes commented, "her arrogance will help us in this."
"I'm not sure I approve of this plan," Tec'on replied, grimacing as he moved. The best would to make his bruises and cuts real was to make them real. That had hurt and would continue to hurt even with a Jaffa 's enhanced healing for some time.
Still, there were worse things.
"We can not afford a straight up fight with that Rel'tac, " she replied swiftly, "I am no Captain but even I know that. Her four surviving Ha'taks will be an issue, but if we take out the big bastard, then it may be manageable. As long as that thing still threatens us…."
He sighed, "I agree with that, but this… this borders on the dishonourable."
"It'll work," she shrugged, "we've used similar tactics before. Still, the risk is high."
Tec'on nodded, gazing upon the small figure fondly, "There is a human expression which would appear to apply, 'risk is our business'."
"True," Dukes laughed, "but this is not as risky as allowing her to continue to act freely."
"There are Free Jaffa still aboard that ship,"
"I know," she replied softly, "but if warn them, we risk the entire mission being blown."
"I agree but their deaths should be more honourable then at the hands of their own allies,"
"It is inevitable that Osiris knows of a few of the spies," Dukes replied, "we warn them then potentially we warn her and risk walking straight into her ambush not ours."
"Then they die," he shook his head, "still, it is regrettable."
"Yes," she replied quietly, "it is."
Osiris shuddered as the Ha'tak slowly approached her ship, the battered shapes of several ships of her enemies tractored to her sides, and she didn't know why. Didn't know why her host was suddenly exultant, didn't know where this strange feeling of dread had come from.
Still, she knew enough to worry and she ordered the shields to remain raised.
Except of course for the critical moment when Tec'on had to beam aboard to report, but that would only require one single sections of shields be compromised for a moment. There should be no risk in that; even if the enemy ship had been turned they couldn't transport enough warriors across to be a threat before the connection could be blocked.
She glared darkly at the rings, knowing it would be mere moments before her Warrior appeared and maybe then she would have the answers she sought.
The rings arose and fear and horror filled Osiris for a moment as an unfamiliar but still unmistakable shape took form in front of her. She slammed her hand down on her hand device, activating her personal shield but she knew with dread that it would not be enough.
The Enterprise shook and Picard his head swiftly away form the viewscreen as just for a moment it flared a brilliant white then faded into blackness. A mere second later, the display flickered across towards a tactical readout, and he grimaced as he watched the Challenger disappear from the screen as swiftly as she separated from the Ha'tak.
It said a lot about the sheer size of the Rel'tac that a piece of debris not even a percentage point of the size of the massive ship was enough to wipe out a Galaxy class ship in a moment he considered even as he ordered his own ship into action.
Mere moments later, a Ha'tak died, victim of a tri-cobalt device from the Sovereign herself. That the Ha'tak appeared to have been under repair was irrelevant. Even damaged, it was an unacceptable threat and a quick kill increased their own chances for survival.
He would have to thank the Sovereigns captain later, assuming they survived this.
"The last vessel is clear!"
"Then raise shields," Tec'on replied, his expression grim as he watched the death and destruction all around him, "and fire as she bears!"
"You did learn much," Dukes noted, "that's not a Jaffa expression."
"No," he smiled grimly, "it's not, but it has its place."
"My Lord, three Ha'taks remain."
"Good," Dukes sighed, "but this isn't going to be easy. I suggest we get the enemy to concentrate their attacks on us. We can not be destroyed with a single solid hit like the allied warships can."
"Agreed," Tec'on replied, his hands darting over the controls, "but even we can not withstand the fire of three Ha'taks indefinitely."
"Maybe not," Dukes replied, "but consider this. At least only one of those vessels is from our universe. The two others are inferior."
"Indeed," he replied with a smirk, "then they should be the quicker kills."
"They have raised their shields," Date noted calmly and Picard bit back a curse.
He had been hoping to have at least crippled another ship before they reacted. It appeared that wasn't to be however. They had at least damaged all three ships, which had to at least count for something.
The ship rocked underneath him and Picard winced as the shield indicators dropped eighteen percent in an instant. That was a hit. Still, at least they had the shields the Tau'ri had fitted aboard the Enterprise and not the standard shields; that would not have been pleasant.
The ship rumbled again and then again, "Evasive, pattern Picard-Omega-Five!"
"The enemy ships are concentrating fire on us and the allied Ha'tak. "
He hid a grimace at Data's words. The enemy had picked up that these were the two ships that could potentially withstand their fire and had labelled them the biggest threats accordingly.
So, they would be the bait, the distraction. So be it, "Keep their attention!"
Dukes felt her heart die a little as in front of her eyes, a Klingon Vor'cha shattered, not deliberately targeted by the enemy, it had just happened to get between them and the main target.
Which, she had to admit to herself, appeared to be the ship she was now on. Sure they didn't seem to like the Enterprise much but it was they who were copping a lot of the heat.
It did mean that the allied vessels were only being fired upon by weapons that could not bear on her of the Enterprise though, and that was the goal.
Then she felt her heart jump as fire blossomed suddenly from a Ha'tak and not from a location that had been fired upon. Internal fires… that ship was still a threat, but if they could not get those fires under control that target would deal with itself.
Distracted for a moment, it was less of a threat.
She turned on Tec'on, ready to suggest he shift fire away but the words died in her throat as she watched him turn every weapon he had upon the cripple.
Like a predator sensing weakness in the prey was the thought that filled her head for a moment.
It appeared he wasn't the only one so inclined as phase-plasma torpedoes from not less then twelve starships joined Tec'ons salvo. The enemy ships shields flickered then in a moment the ship was gone. No explosion, no breaking up, no explosive outpouring of debris, just simply gone.
But its final salvo, vengefully, desperately took the stern straight off a Galor and blew straight through a Sabre killing its escorting Peregrine as well.
"Then there were two," she quietly noted.