The interruption to their game of pool had actually come from Shran. While the Andorians had pulled their support, Shran had not. He supported Archer and stood by him, just as the 'pink skin' had always done with him. He wanted to serve on board the Enterprise, at least temporarily. He had information about the Romulans and was willing to share it along with a few pieces of Andorian technology so the humans would be better prepared to fight against them.
This was both advantageous and suspicious. Archer would readily call Shran a friend and yet he never gave him one-hundred percent of his trust. On his own the captain believed the Andorian was loyal and honest, but one could never be certain who or what those attributes were for. While he had no doubt Shran had great respect for him, he knew from experience that his love for his home world would always come first. He was the same way, himself. So while he was welcomed with open arms to the Enterprise, he was not given free reign of the ship, at least not until Archer was certain of his intentions.
Shran naturally was insulted by this and had no problem telling the captain of the Enterprise his opinion of it. Archer remained unmoved and even reminded his friend of the way he had double-crossed him over the Xindi weapon. He also pointed out how he had specifically told him to stay in his guest quarters while they looked into whether or not his ship had been attacked by the Tellerites and instead he tried to assassinate the delegate from Tellar. Archer made it very clear to Shran that he would have to abide by this deal until he proved himself trustworthy or find another ship. The Andorian growled under his breath and glared at the captain, but accepted the terms . . . at least for now.
By February of twenty-one-fifty-seven this strange alliance would produce its first fruits, although whether it was good or bad remained a matter of perspective. Shran had never ceased to be in communication with his Andorian superior officers and there was one particular piece of intel that he thought might be of use to Archer. There were rumors of a listening post on Vissia Prime that was taking in information on the Romulans. His advice to Archer was seek it out before enemy forces found it. The Vissians had no love for the Romulans and would make a powerful ally for Earth. They might even be willing to share information with the Humans regarding their common enemy.
Archer pondered this information for some time and even discussed it with T'Pol. As a Vulcan, she didn't trust Andorians and that included Shran. What she couldn't deny was that some of the distrust that Shran and his people had for the Vulcans might have been earned. Still, she also had to admit that the Vissians would make an excellent ally and for that reason alone it could be worth looking into. Having T'Pol agree that this lead was worth looking into bolstered Archer's confidence in Shran's suggestion and the captain took it to Admiral Gardner for approval. While he was in favor of the mission he did suggest that the Enterprise not go there alone just in case they were met by the Romulans.
This suggestion turned out to be prophetic. Archer led a flotilla of eight ships into the Gamma Hydra looking for Vissia Prime only to be intercepted by the Romulans. Outnumbered and outgunned, it quickly turned into a bloodbath. Five of Earth's ships were lost and there were heavy casualties and injuries on the remaining three. The one thing that the Romulan's had not expected was the loss of seven of their own ships. Somehow they could never fully decimate the human's. What had stopped them this time was the surprise arrival of ten Vissan Starships. Outnumbered, they retreated, vowing to finish what they had started the next time they met.
The Vissians towed the remaining Earth ships back to their planet and to a repair facility. They offered medical aid to the injured and assistance with the dead. The listening post that they had sought in hopes of gaining intel on the Romulans had already been attacked and destroyed by the enemy rendering it completely useless. While the ship's were being repaired, Archer, despite his own injuries, toured the medical facilities and visited the wounded. With him was T'Pol and Trip. Both had been banged up hard, but were still able to get around and help others.
Looking at the victims, Archer was quick to mention his belief that they should have acted sooner on Shran's intel, or perhaps later . . . maybe not at all and then none of this would have happened. Both of his companions were quick to tell him that he had acted appropriately and was not to blame for what happened. Shran was quick to say otherwise. His narrow eyes glared at Archer from beneath his heavy white eyebrows, his antenna turned back displaying his irritation. He firmly believed that if Archer had simply trusted him, then all of the carnage would have been avoided. The captain could only silently agree.
Upon beaming back on to the Enterprise, Archer wanted to get as far away from Shran as he could for at least a few minutes. He couldn't stand another accusing look from that powder blue face or snarling accusation. He could do that to himself just fine. Right now he needed to see how the repairs were progressing. Even that, he quickly discovered, was not going as smoothly as he hoped. Shran was still engaged in his verbal assault when Archer's communicator went off. He opened it and was greeted by an unfamiliar voice that seemed hesitant and uncertain of what to say.
"C-Captain Archer?" the voice asked.
"This is Archer . . . and you are?"
"I am Oilill of Vissia Prime. I was sent to help repair your vessel."
"Of course, what can I do for you?"
"I believe there is something wrong with one of the crewmen assigned to help us with your computer core. She seems to be having difficulty breathing and her eyes are leaking. I admit I know nothing about human physiology but . . . ."
"On my way." The captain needed no more information and immediately turned his back on Shran and hurried down the corridor to the lower-level computer core. He was so fixated on the situation that he never noticed his Andorian friend following him curiously. All the captain cared about was helping his crewman and believed that this was simply a case of someone not realizing just how injured they really were during the battle. What he had not expected was to find Lt. D'Arcy hugging her knees as she sat on the floor. Her body was shaking as she took short , shallow breaths and big tears rolled out of her eyes. One of the Vissians approached him, the one who had contacted him no doubt, and began to explain further.
"She was fine until she approached the core then I'm not exactly sure what happened. All she would tell us was that her head hurt. Perhaps an injury from the battle?"
Like everyone else on board Danaë had plenty of injuries from the altercation, but they were mostly superficial including a dislocated shoulder that had been popped back into place again and was now fine. No, this was something different that had never completely gone away since the Xindi conflict. He had seen her experience moments of PTSD before, but this was by far the worst episode he had witnessed. Then again, this was the first time she had entered the computer core since the Xindi had attempted to use her to sabotage the ship
Archer looked around the area and there was only one other crewman present, everyone else was from Vissia Prime. He couldn't see Shran hiding just out of view in the doorway listening intently with one antenna turned in the direction of his interest. The captain ordered the other crewmen to get Dr. Phlox or at least one of the other medics if at all possible then asked the Vissians if they would mind stepping out while he tended to his 'injured' crewman. Carefully he knelt down and leaned in close to her and began to speak low as he put his arms around her and held her close to him.
"Dani, listen to my voice. You are stronger than this. You beat that thing a long time ago. It couldn't hold you then and its ghost can't hold you now. You know how to stop it." He brought her ear inches from his lips and continued to speak low and soothingly to her. "Close your eyes and push all the air out of your lungs then allow yourself to breathe normally." The lieutenant did as he asked as he continued speaking. "Picture your calming place, the vineyards of your father's childhood home. You've shown me pictures of it before, remember? Let your mind go there now." He could hear and feel her breath beginning to deepen. "I want you to recall the feel of the tall grass beneath your feet as you walk the lanes between the vines. Feel the breeze on your face and feel it rustling through the leaves. Taste the sweet fruit of the grapes."
The more he described the Picard vineyards the less the lieutenant's body shook and the deeper and more steady her breathing became. The memory of that peaceful countryside that was her father's childhood home had always been her calming place even before coming to the past. It had been the same way for Captain Picard. After he had been rescued from the Borg it had been his go-to place when he needed help recovering mentally. Growing up on the Enterprise-D and E there had been times when their lives would become too demanding, too taxing then he would take her to the holodeck and they would visit the family home.
From his vantage point Shran watched the way Archer held the lieutenant and gently brushed the hair from her face. This woman, whomever she was, was not just a crewman anymore than Talas was to him. This was something that surprised him about his pink-skinned friend and he wanted to learn more. Danaë laid her head against his arm. Her breathing was normal again and she was no longer shaking.
"My head is throbbing," she told him. Gently the captain sat her up then with his fingers he pressed gently against very specific spots on her back. He had never had even a small amount of training with neuropressure but after carrying Surak's katra, he found he had developed a few new skills and that was one of them. Once the pressure was applied, the lieutenant gave a sigh of relief as the throb in her head subsided.
"What happened?" the captain asked.
"I don't know. I walked in and took one look at the core and I just . . ." Danaë couldn't bring herself to talk about it. She was already embarrassed that such a moment had happened at all, let alone in front of others and then to have the captain called to help her. She didn't want him to know that she had flashed back to a moment in time when everything she was had been under the control of a creature called the yamanu. At a time like this Archer needed a strong crew that he could depend on and he couldn't do that if he thought she was either feeble or worse, damaged. "It doesn't matter, it's over anyway. I'll be fine."
Archer had a feeling he knew what had happened and while he certainly didn't have time for his crew to have mental breakdowns, he couldn't fault any of them if they did. Everything they had been through since day one would be enough to challenge the mental well-being of the most hardened soldier. Carefully he helped her up and walked her to the door. Seeing their shadows approach, Shran immediately moved to the outer corridor and continued to listen.
"A medic should be on their way and after they have checked you out I want you to report to your quarters so you can finish clearing your mind and letting your body rest. I can get our Vissian guests started on the repairs to the core."
"I can do this," she assured him, but the captain was not buying it.
"You are not to be in the core unless you are personally instructed to do so by me, are we clear?"
"Captain, with all due respect . . ."
"Are we clear?" he repeated, a touch louder and more curtly.
"Yes, captain." Embarrassed and humiliated that the episode had ever happened, the lieutenant started to turn away. Not since the moment that infernal beast had taken possession of her body and mind had she felt so weak and ineffectual. She didn't want Jonathan Archer to believe he had to save her all the time. She wanted to prove she could rise above it. She was on the point of leaving when to her surprise her hand was suddenly caught in his and he swiftly planted a quick kiss on her forehead. Maybe he understood more than she realized.
At the sight Shran's antenna immediately came forward with his interest. The kiss lasted all of maybe two seconds, but it almost proved too long. Their hands had barely parted when the medic suddenly came up around the corner led by the crewman Archer had sent and the Vissian helpers. Once Lt. D'Arcy was checked out, she headed off to her quarters, unaware that Shran was making a mental note as to which 'pink-skin' she was. It wasn't that he cared whether or not Archer engaged in relations with a crewman on his ship, it was just gratifying to see that the Earth captain had something beyond Starfleet in his veins.
The Andorian waited patiently in the corridor as the captain got the Vissians started on the repairs. He also had Trip Tucker send a replacement for Lt. D'Arcy while leaving out the reasons it was necessary. Once the substitute arrived, Archer left confident everything would be taken care of. In fact, their work was so good that he wasn't sure any human engineer could compare. He never saw Shran as he walked down the corridor towards the lift to go back to the bridge, but he certainly heard his voice.
"Well, well, so the human captain is made of flesh and blood after all." The Andorian punctuated this statement with a slight laugh as Archer turned around and looked at him. Those dark narrow eyes looked at him from beneath those heavy white eyebrows as though he finally had him by the balls.
"I've never pretended to be anything more than that."
"After all the sanctimonious speeches about duty, honor and self sacrifice. The countless attempts to prove that you pink skins were somehow morally or ethically superior."
"I never claimed to be superior to anyone." the captain responded, but the Andorian continued without even the slightest notice.
"Never willing to give all of your trust, even to a friend who has come to your aid more than once," Shran commented, his voice sharp and accusatory. "Yet, I bet you listen and heed the words of that female when she bats her eyes at you."
"That female is a lieutenant on my ship and as captain I look out for all of my crewmembers."
"Do you always hold them and kiss them?" At this question, Archer's normally impenetrable poker face gave way to a momentary look of 'oh shit' that lasted about half a second before regaining his composure. Setting his jaw, Archer went over and opened the door to one of the linen storage rooms then gestured for Shran to step inside. If he must have this conversation, then it would be where no other ears were present. The Andorian strode boldly into the room, a smug smile plastered on his azure face. He had waited a long time to see Archer squirm and he intended to enjoy every minute of it.
"I don't appreciate being followed or spied on on my own ship," Archer began, wanting to make sure there would not be a second occurrence of this while deflecting any discussion about Lt. D'Arcy.
"I was not spying. I overheard that there was an issue with one of the crew and the commander in me simply wanted to make sure they were okay. Force of habit, nothing more." As genuine as the Andorian wanted to seem with his hands out in supplication, the captain wasn't buying the performance. "Of course I do still have to report to the Andorian High Command and acknowledge that Archer is protecting a compromised crewman . . ." Instinct rather than his will caused Archer to momentarily lash out and catch Shran by the collar of his uniform.
"Other than possessing an over abundance of unearned arrogance, I know nothing of Andorian psychology, but I can help you understand the human mind better. During the Xindi conflict there was not one man or woman on board this ship that didn't suffer in some fashion. Even if they didn't receive physical scars they still never returned home the same. I am not the same man I was. Some never returned home at all. She fought hard to survive and for that I am grateful."
To his surprise, the Andorian started to laugh, a look of satisfaction blazing in his dark eyes. Thrown off by his friend's reaction, Archer released his grip and stepped back. It was true that he was not well versed in this particular species sense of humor, but he usually followed it better than this.
"So the human female is special to you after-all. Seems we have more in common than we thought." Shran proclaimed, but Archer could only furrow his brow slightly, unsure what his friend meant. "She is your Talas."
Suddenly it all made sense. He had nearly forgotten about the incident on the way to Babel to begin peace talks between the Tellarites and the Andorians. During a meal in the Captain's mess, Shran unexpectedly confessed to having a romantic relationship with one of his officers, a female named Talas. Archer suddenly realized that the tables had somehow turned and the two captains were indeed more alike than they could have ever anticipated. With this knowledge, the captain relaxed and decided to take a leap of faith just as Shran had once done with him.
"In the past I never would have considered a relationship with another officer under my command." The captain's words echoed Shran's from that night a few years back.
"What changed it?" Shran asked, suspecting a bit of common ground between them.
"Human women can be aggressive in their own fashion. Let's just say she made an overture." Archer smiled at his friend and said nothing else regarding the details. He'd let the Andorian imagine for himself what the lieutenant had done. For his part, recalling the night shortly after she was found when he escorted a drunk Danaë back to the guest quarters was one he liked to revisit. The way she had caught him by the uniform and planted a very deep passionate kiss on his lips was undeniable proof of the attraction they had felt since the first laid eyes on each other. "After that I had a choice between leaving her to wander alone on Earth or mating. I chose to mate with her."
"You made the right decision," Shran smiled. "However," The Andorian continued, the smile disappearing from Archer's face as well as his own blue lips as he continued. "After what I just witnessed I hope your desire for her is not interfering with your judgment."
"What you saw was a snapshot, a very brief moment in time that no doubt to your species appears weak and ineffectual. Let me tell you something about Danaë. She was born in a region of space human's haven't even discovered yet. Exploration is in her veins. She never had to serve on this ship. In fact, she could have easily walked away to live a much easier, safer life on Earth, but she didn't. She chose to be on this vessel. More than once she has been offered opportunities to build ships or even command her own but each time she chose to stay here. She chose me. She is as hard and strong as anyone on this ship including you. She was the one who taught me a few Andorian moves so I could fight you in your Ushaan. Do not make the mistake of underestimating her." At this the smile returned to Shran's face and he appeared quite satisfied with Archer's answer.
"You have my word."
Shran meant what he said, but he still intended to watch her. He was curious to know what sort of female she was and if Archer was accurate in his description. To do so he spent a great deal of time in the Engine room under the guise of helping and observing. This was not exactly a lie. Wherever and whenever he could he wanted to help the humans improve their technology if only to ensure his own survival. He also knew that if he was going to spend this much time around 'pink skins' he would need to know more about them.
For the most part the Andorian found the humans to be skilled, determined and to possess a will to survive that reminded him of his own people and he respected it. At other times he found their ship to be antiquated compared to Andorian vessels and their attitudes in need of adjustment especially when it came to other species. This was an issue he was blind to when it came to himself and his views on vulcans. When it came to observing Archer's chosen female, Shran found it was far more difficult than expected. Being one of the shorter people in engineering, she was often working down any one of the ship's narrow tubes making repairs, something she was better at than most. It wasn't until August that he finally had an opportunity to see her in action and what she was truly made of. It was while they were orbiting a planet known as Galorndon Core.
The planet itself had been a paradise located in the Narendra Sector of the Tau Dewa sector block. At one time the surface had been covered in green lush vegetation and clear clean water. It was a place perfect for lifeforms to exist and thrive. Like Earth, it possessed a variety of ecosystems from deserts to rainforests and had been studied by the Vulcans at least a hundred years before as well as humans just before the outbreak of war.
It was because of these attributes that two of Earth's scientists had gone there. When word reached the Enterprise that the Romulans had annexed the planet, they immediately went there along with one of Earth's cruisers to extract the two humans before they were discovered. They narrowly succeeded before encountering two Romulan warbirds. Like it or not, ready or not, another battle had begun.
The lead Romulan Commander was called Chulak and on his home planet there was no more feared warrior. His maneuvers and prowess on the field of battle was legendary on Romulus and he knew that his vessel was far superior to anything Earth had created. It was he who had discovered the strange escape pod that had appeared out of nowhere with the single Romulan woman on board two years before. He listened as she introduced herself as Sela and spoke of coming from a future time where their world was destroyed by a supernova. Through tears she told everything and in particular how their people were betrayed by the Vulcans and the Federation that was just now being born. She had only survived because the escape pod was so light that it had been hurled through the black hole to this time.
At first Chulak and the others were not inclined to believe the story. Time-travel, as far as they knew, was impossible. What finally changed their mind was her insistence that she was half-human and had dyed her hair so she wouldn't appear so different from the others. They had already noted that she did not possess the slight forehead ridges typical to Romulans, but scans quickly proved what she said was true. They even took a blood sampling and tested her DNA just to be certain. They examined the technology of her pod and found that it was far more advanced compared to what they currently used.
After days of deliberation the leaders of Romulus had decided to prevent the alliance and destroy the Federation before it could happen. Once they succeeded they would begin conquering worlds so they could expand and ultimately save themselves. The first step in this was the creation of the drone ships. They had proved more useful despite the first two being destroyed. That loss had been blamed on their dependence on the Aenar and their telepathic abilities. Instead they were reconfigured so that they could be controlled from a control center located underground on the planet Cheron.
Chulak quickly became enamored with the drone fleet and really what was there to dislike? The hull of each ship was fitted with special emitters that acted as holographic projectors that allowed it to mimic a large selection of ships from across the galaxy and from various worlds. The disruptors of its weapons systems were fitted with tri-phasic emitters that gave it the capability to simulate the effects of and number of weapons that corresponded to whatever type of vessel it chose to be. Another added benefit was that you could lose a ship without ever losing a man.
Despite all these advantages, Chulak preferred to be at the bridge of his own vessel, the Raon. It was his home away from home. He had never laid eyes on a human, nor did he care to. He didn't exactly harbor any ill feelings towards the people of Earth, but he did believe in protecting and preserving his own. What little he knew of humans came from Sela who assured them that they were physically weak compared to Romulans and he assumed this extended to their intelligence and ability. Their technology so far had been inferior and he longed to bring home a section of the exterior hull paneling from the Enterprise as a trophy. Even on Romulus the old adage was true when it came to the head of the snake and he knew that was the Enterprise and Jonathan Archer.
Now, high above the planet Galorndon Core, he had the NX-01 in his sights and had no intention of letting it escape again. The ship no sooner appeared before the surprised starfleet vessel and it opened fire, targeting and damaging its engines. The entire compartment was thrown into chaos as the crew were tossed about while trying to hold onto their posts amid smoke, fire and falling debris. On the bridge Archer was ordering Lt. Reed to return fire with everything they had. For all the damage they had taken, the one thing they still had was a fully functional weapons system. Unfortunately it had as much effect as hurling rocks at a tank. There had to be a way to increase their firepower or else they would be done for.
"Trip, I need warp speed now!" The captain called out over the comm system. He was trying to maintain a calm appearance for the sake of the crew, but his heart was pounding.
"I'd like to 'cap', but I need time. I might be able to give you warp one in about thirty minutes if you can keep the Romulans off our backs. Another hit like that last one and the saucer section will be permanently separated from the engines."
"We'll do what we can," Archer sighed.
Chulak wasn't worried and felt he could strike them down at his leisure. The humans were in no position to limp away and it was more honorable to give them at least the hope of survival. Instead, he took aim at a few soft and superficial areas as target practice to remind the humans of what he could do. It wasn't so much that he was a cat playing with his prey to death, it was more like there was no fun or honor in simply butchering the enemy. Yes, give them a chance to take a few seats at him in self-defense then go in for the kill.
On the Enterprise Lt. Reed was trying to come up with anything he could think of to enhance their own firepower and put a stop to the bombardment. Being a man well-versed in weaponry, both current and historical, an idea came to mind. It would be crude and even primitive, but he was confident that it could be effective. He told his idea to Archer and was instantly given the go ahead. Knowing he would need a second pair of hands and knowing Cmdr. Tucker's were full, Lt. D'Arcy was ordered to assist him in the armory.
Lt. Reed told her what he was thinking and she immediately lit up at the idea. They started pulling torpedos and opening them with surgical skill. The two implanted nuclear devices inside the armament that was designed to go off when a bomb detonated. They then implanted a solid steel plug that could penetrate their hull, then sealed it all back inside the torpedo. They were able to create four of these weapons before Malcolm returned to the bridge and his post. Now all they needed to do was allow the Romulans to believe they were even more damaged then they were.
Archer ordered Hoshi to hail the captain of the Raon. Chulak was willing to communicate through audio but had no interest in visual contact. What the captain of the Enterprise was about to propose, he knew the Romulan Commander would never accept, but he needed to buy some time and get them to lower their shields just enough. It worked. The Romulan Commander lowered his shields to their lightest setting then listened as Archer offered their surrender and asked for help and medical attention for what remaining crew he had. As expected the request was denied with the single word 'no' before all contact ended.
The same second that communication ceased, Archer commanded Reed to fire one of his 'special' torpedoes. His finger barely hit the button and the armament shot through the tube then out into space and directly into its target. The solid plug was enough to penetrate through the lowered shielding and hull allowing it to detonate inside the Romulan vessel. The explosion of the missile easily triggered the nuclear warhead vaporizing and burning many inside the ship. The compartments were flooded with radiation causing those not directly impacted to quickly become ill
Chulak was stunned and horrified. He ordered his shields back up to full power and to fire all weapons on to the Enterprise, but the systems were severely damaged and the men needed to fix it were either dead or too ill to do the repairs. The Romulan commander sat down in his chair, his own body becoming nauseated and his head beginning to spin with dizziness, the taste of metal permeating his mouth. He thought of his wife and his own children waiting for him at home and the dire warnings of Sela about the future of his planet. He wouldn't let the humans win, he couldn't for their sakes and generations to come.
Knowing that the NX-01 did not have full power and that his own ship would not last long, Chulak made the decision to fly his ship at high warp into the planet's surface. He was certain that the Enterprise would not have time to escape the shockwaves and radiation that the impact would create. He took the helm controls himself and started towards his destiny, hoping the Enterprise would be caught by enough surprise that they wouldn't be able to facilitate an escape even if they managed to summon up enough power.
Archer saw what the Romulan commander was doing and immediately called down to the engine room and ordered the engines to warp. Despite all their best efforts they simply didn't have it and wouldn't for at least another fifteen minutes. Knowing what a desperate situation they were in, Lt. D'Arcy said nothing, but went over to the panel that controlled the shield hull plating and began rewiring it as fast as her fingers could move. She could recall the configuration of the shields from her childhood from sneaking around on the Enterprise-E and began to duplicate it as closely as she could.
"What do you think you're doing, lieutenant!" Commander Tucker shouted, instantly getting Shran's attention who was standing nearby assisting Trip with holding the engines together.. He didn't know what she was doing to the hull plating but he knew they desperately needed it, especially now. "Our hull plating is already at maximum capacity. If you change that then you'll kill us all."
"I'm making sure we survive commander!" she answered never looking away from what she was doing. "When we do, then you can put me on full report and I will happily sign it!." If he was still shouting then she didn't hear it. "Forgive me, father, for I have sinned. I'm not only breaking the Temporal Prime Directive, but I am flinging it to the ground and stomping it," she muttered to herself as she worked feverishly.
On the bridge Lt. Reed saw the level of power that appeared for the hull plating and was dumbfounded and told Archer what sort of readings he was getting. There was concern, and rightly so, that the shields were overloading. If it went too far and ignited the warp plasma, things would be more disastrous. By itself was not the problem, but combined with the shockwaves that were going to come from the Romulan ship hitting the planet and full warp and they would be torn to shreds. To their relief the shield power leveled out at a strength they had never had before without pushing too far. Neither Archer nor Malcolm understood it but they weren't going to look a gift horse in the mouth and ordered everyone on the ship to hold on tight to whatever they could.
On the Romulan ship Raon, Chulak sat calmly in his commander's chair and stared into the screen as the planet came closer and closer. He sang a patriotic song about the greatness of Romulus and its people. Then whispered a soft good-bye to his wife and the ship collided with the planet's surface sending powerful shockwaves across the surface of Galorndon Core that leveled everything in its wake. The waves reverberated through the atmosphere and plowing into the Enterprise. Under normal circumstances with the hull plating polarized to its highest level it still would have been shattered to pieces. With the new configuration it held firm but shook like a baby's rattle as it was pushed a far distance from the planet before finally coming to a rest. The ship would need days, weeks even months of repair but they were alive. Picking himself up off the floor, Shran eyed Danaë with a slight smirk.
"You are definitely his female," he said to her. The lieutenant said nothing and simply walked away.
For the next two months they once again tried to repair the ship as much as possible. They managed to meet up with a taskforce of seventeen starfleet ships. Limping along, they barely managed to get it wrapped in duct tape before they once again met the Romulan's in battle above the planet of Prantares. It was a short scant thirty-six minutes of fierce fighting that managed to turn the Romulan forces back, but not without losing all but a handful of Earth ships. There was no more optimism, and very little hope. Most simply wanted the war to end so they could finally go home to their families. How would they ever manage to survive another year of this?