Chapter 15: "A Good Day to Die"

=/\= - =/\=

Footsteps behind him caused Terrh ch'Vaeridh to turn around. From somewhere out of the dimness beyond the control center a Romulan made his way up a few small platforms to Terrh's level. The man stopped and met his eyes.

"D'Nal tr'Khev," Terrh grimaced, "Out of all people, I didn't expect you."

D'Nal, aka Mirok ch'Taris, lowered himself to one knee. He bowed his head in homage, "Rekkhai, you are in grave danger."

Terrh laughed out scornfully. "From you?"

Mirok's gaze lifted. He frowned, "No. Of course not."

"Then you're not here to seize this ship?"

"No." Mirok's frown deepened. "I'm here to warn you of a Fleeter plot. A menace by the name of Admiral Michaev..."

=/\=

"It's already too late," Boris Michaev boasted loudly from his elevated perch.

Terrh glanced up and to his left, beholding two Humans, male and female, with phasers aimed straight at him. He didn't flinch.

Michaev and his female agent fired on the Tal'Shiar officer. To their utter astonishment, the beams from their weapons never even came close to hitting Terrh. They were redirected and absorbed by certain points along the structural joists that supported the control platform and surrounding assembly.

Terrh's disdainful laughter echoed through the upper section of the ship. "Humans?" he boomed, looking at D'Nal, accusing, "You're in league with them now?"

Mirok looked puzzled.

"Too bad for you," Terrh spat, his head flicking back to momentarily stare up at Michaev and Meili, "that their energy weapons don't work here."

Meili's face contorted in anger. Once more she triggered her phaser, just to realize how true the Romulan's word were as the beam was once again deflected and absorbed. It only served to increase her rage.

"Clever man," Michaev muttered.

"I'm no fool," Terrh's searing gaze snapped back to D'Nal, "traitor!" With one fluid motion, he grasped the hilt of his sword, pulled it from the sheath, and brought it across D'Nal's body to decapitate him.

Though, nothing of the sort happened. Mirok's head wasn't severed, nor did it roll to the floor. To Terrh's utter surprise what had appeared to be one of the Tal'Shiar Colonel known to him simply vanished. A projection!

=/\=

Agent QT realized her chance and, like any well-trained SFI officer, took advantage of the Romulan's brief befuddlement to make her move. Like a cat, the Augment jumped the three meters down to the control center platform and landed with grace. It brought her pleasure to see another stunned expression flash in Terrh's eyes. It was the moment of realization that he wasn't just facing another normal Human.

In a flash, Meili reached to her back and pulled the two foot-long daggers. Her eyes narrowed to slits as she began circling Terrh like a predator would its prey. A sinister smile curled her flawless lips.

The Romulan brought up his sword and moved with her, never letting her out of her sight as he analyzed his opponent. A grin formed on his lips, too. He could taste the exhilaration the promise of a fierce battle would bring.

Michaev watched the two circle each other, sizing each other up. When they suddenly engaged - metal blade hitting metal blade - he darted from his vantage to find a spot more level with the command center platform.

=/\= - =/\=

"Entering inner section of the Talvath system, rekkhai," the Greiirh's helmsman reported. "Talvath two is just up ahead."

"Move us in, carefully," Riov Hvaid instructed. "Inform the Paladin that we will be trying to contact the cloaked Tal'Shiar ships immediately."

"Ie, leih."

"Open hailing frequencies," Hvaid ordered. He stood, taking a deep breath. "Attention Rihannsu vessels. This is Riov Hvaid tr'Khaiell. I am here by authority of Galae Command. I know you are out there. Decloak and stand down."

A long moment of silence passed.

"I'm not getting anything, rekkhai," the helmsman noted with a glance to his captain.

Hvaid turned to look at his Tactical Officer. "Are sensors picking up anything?"

"Possibly," the woman replied with a grimace, "at least two ships... I believe... maybe..."

"Maybe?" Hvaid frowned.

"It's hard to say, rekkhai," the Tactical Officer looked apologetic, "there seems to be something else, but I don't know what. It's... dispersed somehow, and faint. I'm not sure what to make of it."

Hvaid's frown deepened.

=/\=

"Leih?" The helmsman of the scout ship Laehval looked expectantly at her captain.

Erei'Riov Dalok scowled, "Do not reply. We'll be waiting for our orders."

Once more Riov Hvaid's voice sounded over the comm channel, giving a more pointed warning to the cloaked Tal'Shiar ships. Dalok pondered how many other vessels the Greiirh's captain had with him.

"Keep on distributing the mines," the Erei'Riov commanded coolly, though in the back of his mind he was anxiously wondering what Terrh would have them do now.

A moment later, he had his answer.

"We're receiving instructions to move away from the mine field and take up position in defense of the Lagga, rekkhai," the man at the tactical console reported.

Dalok shot the officer a questioning look.

"Riov Nahir is about to activate the mines," the Tactical Officer replied.

"Move us out," Dalok immediately ordered. While he wished he had heard the command from Terrh himself, Nahir was the senior commander of the three Tal'Shiar ships, and Dalok was not about to questions the woman.

=/\= - =/\=

The little hataki fizzled into existence on the Umbra's bridge once again. It crept up on the seat occupied by Temba. Timir hoped to scout out a way to unlock the door to the small room he was held in.

As the tiny creature looked up, Temba's form began to change. The Chameloid morphed into a smaller person, easily slipping out of his bindings, and stood. Quietly, he moved up behind the Arkenite helmsman and once again changed shape, turning into a huge, hairy beast with long sickle-shaped claws.

=/\=

Timir flinched. "No..."

He sat up with a start and squeezed his eyes shut tighter, forcing himself to focus so as not to lose his projection. His strength had returned some and he managed to change the being to that of the sabre cat he had created before. He had to do something to intervene.

Though, as he made the creature jump to pounce Temba's new form, he could see the Arkenite agent stand up abruptly and whirl around. The man's bulbous eyes seemed to be getting even bigger. He reached for his weapon, but Temba's beast moved faster. Waridi's face froze as one of the razor sharp claws impaled his chest and the beast's other paw slashed across his throat.

Through his projection's eyes, Timir saw the Arkenite's limp body fall to the floor just as the sabre cat sprung onto Temba's back. The beast spun around and violently slashed and thrashed at its attacker.

It only took moments for Timir to lose the projection in the intensity of the fray.

His eyes fluttered open. He slumped back against the wall, letting out an exasperated sigh. What good was it anyways. The helmsman was dead. All that resistance would do now was to remind Temba that someone was still alive on the ship. And Timir doubted he had any chance fighting against that beast, even if he knew it was coming.

The Halanan looked up from the bunk and to the locked door, wondering if Temba would come barreling through it any moment to finish him off.

=/\= - =/\=

Space lit up with several explosions. Pieces of a fragmented ship hull scattered in the void. A moment later, a Rihannsu Valdor class warbird decloaked.

=/\=

"What the hell was that?" Riov Hvaid yelled across his bridge.

"Mines, rekkhai. Cloaked mines," the Tactical Officer reported. "The Draere has taken damage."

"Evasive maneuvers," Hvaid commanded.

"To where, leih?" The helmsman asked confused.

"The mines could be anywhere," the Tactical Officer noted, staring at her captain.

"Damn Tal'Shiar." Hvaid let out a string of curses.

As he looked back to the viewscreen and the decloaked and damaged Draere, three Rihannsu ships decloaked between his group's position and the mining vessel. The Tal'Shiar ships; poised and ready to defend the Lagga by any means.

Hvaid stood. "Decloak."

The Greiirh dropped its cloak, followed shortly by the two other remaining vessels in its company. Four Galae ships facing three Tal'Shiar ones. A Rihannsu standoff.

"They have shields up and are powering weapons," the Tactical Officer looked expectantly at Hvaid.

The Riov held his hand up. "Open channel again." A nod from his Comm Officer and Hvaid spoke, "Tal'Shiar vessels, stand down and deactivate the mines. This is your last warning. Stand down!"

There was no reply.

Hvaid frowned. He glanced to the Comm Officer, "Inform the scout ship to try and find the mines and neutralize them."

"Ie, rekkhai."

His face set, Hvaid ordered, "Battlestations."

=/\= - =/\=

Temba had watched the fireworks go off out in space and the seven Romulan ships decloak in turn. A snarl parted the lips of his beastly form. He morphed back into Arrain N'Ral and tapped a few commands into the helm console.

He bowed his head when a Klingon warrior appeared on the viewer. "It is time."

"We will commence attack momentarily," the Klingon captain acknowledged, "the weapon shall be ours soon."

A sinister smile played across Temba's features as the screen went back to show the now commencing battle between the seven Romulan ships. While the Romulans would shred each other to pieces, he would beam aboard the mining vessel and make short work of Michaev and his bunch.

All the Klingons had to do was finish off what would be left of the Romulan ships. Then, they could have their weapon and take it back to Qo'noS and overthrow Chancellor Martok. It would bring a new era for him and his people, and that's all Temba cared about.

=/\=

A few minutes later, Temba burst into the Umbra's small transporter room. He stepped up to the control console and set it to beam him to the same coordinates Michaev and his agents had beamed to earlier.

"Too bad I can't set you on self-destruct," he muttered, "but we'll do the next best thing." He smirked, tapping on the console some more.

"Time to jump ship." Temba activated the transporter with a slight delay and hopped onto the pad. A broad smile spread on his lips.

The moment he'd transport away, the Umbra would decloak and the Tal'Shiar surely would fire on the unshielded ship. It would mean certain death for Timir.

"It's a good day to die, my friend," Temba mocked as he dematerialized.

=/\= - =/\=

It seemed to all happen in the same moment. A fleet of nine Klingon ships suddenly decloaked on the far side of Valvath II. The Umbra decloaked next to the mining vessel. One of the Tal'Shiar ships immediately reacted and took her under fire. Just to find itself faced with the Klingon fleet, joining the mayhem.

And then all hell broke loose...

Rekkhai = Sir

Leih = Commander (not the rank but the possition)

Ie = Yes

Arrain = Centurion (SF equivalent rank: Lieutenant)