Dancefloor

Solanna's

Nerkit 1

Kayla reached under her jacket and tore her assault phaser from its tape. On instinct, she shoved Rei behind her and drew up against the wall for cover.

Below her, Kayla could hear mixed shouting and shoving before someone drew a phaser and started the shooting.

"1-9 to 2-7, report on bounce!" Kayla shouted into her wrist comm, dropping all pretense of problems with Rei.

"2-7. Counting fifteen plus targets. Positive ID as OCG. I am covered and located at position 2-7-A, over," Rela replied over QC.

Kayla shuffled sideways and peered out the window looking down into the rest of the club. Towards the door, ten Orion soldiers wearing sophisticated battle armour and wielding modern-looking phaser rifles were spread out and firing randomly through the club.

Upstairs on a higher level, Rela had turned over the tongo table as cover and drawn her own assault phaser. Behind her, several more Gorn bodyguards and a mixed group of Romulans had taken their own cover and were trading shots with their attackers.

"Solanna! Are those your guys down there?!" Kayla shouted.

"Yes!" Solanna replied as she opened a panel in her office and armed herself with a disruptor rifle.

"Any idea who's attacking your club?!" Rei asked in turn.

"Probably the competition!" Solanna shouted.

The Romulan club owner elbowed in one of her office windows and fired a dozen green bolts into her own club.

Rei smashed her comm badge on her chest.

"Nechayev to Alexia, respond!"

The flat chirping noise that responded back caused Rei's head to drop in frustration.

"Well, that's just great. How are they blocking us?"

Kayla shouted back as she fired her assault towards the attackers for cover, "Doesn't matter right now. We need to regroup with Rela and get out of here. Stay right behind me and keep your head down!"

Kayla looked at the battlefield again and forced her mind to slow down her perception of time, just like Rain could. She watched the enemy. How they moved, how they fought, and how their gear worked. They looked reasonably competent, and their armour was soundly constructed, as Kayla watched phaser and disruptor beams bounce away.

But they weren't any match for a Federation Marine.

"Let's move!" Kayla shouted. With one hand holding Rei's and the other leading with her assault phaser, Kayla made a brisk advance down the stairs.

Movement right.

Kayla wheeled and quickly brought up a sight picture on her first target. Her fast trigger squeezes sent six blue beams from her weapon dead centre into her target's chest plate. But all six beams bounced harmlessly away, and the target recovered quickly enough to raise his rifle.

Kayla moved fast enough to shove Rei behind a side bar, and just fast enough to avoid a disruptor beam aimed for her head, but the singing heat of the beam still managed to fry some of her red hair.

"That might be a problem!" Rei again shouted.

"Its only a problem if you make it one!" Kayla countered.

She peeked up from cover and again slowed time. Adjusting her brain chemistry with a simple thought, Kayla studied the armour closely. It felt like hours, but in reality, it was barely fifteen seconds.

Kayla found her opening.

"I'm moving again in ten seconds. Count to five, and then run right about fifty feet and take cover behind Rela. You good Rei?" asked Kayla.

"I'm still mad at you. But I'm good," Rei said.

Kayla winced but counted to ten and then moved into the fight.

Movement front.

The target was ten metres away, facing Kayla's three o'clock. She'd have three seconds to place her shot.

Kayla leaned forward slightly and bent her hips, placing her weaker left foot forward and pivoting her right to three o'clock. Locking her left elbow forward and crooking her right, she raised the assault phaser to eye level with a tight grip, her left hand covering her right fully.

With the sight picture aligned, Kayla squeezed the trigger. The blue phaser beam erupted out of her barrel, the heat of the beam creating a slight shimmer in the air around the weapon.

A heartbeat later, the beam slammed into her target. Whoever these Orions were, their armour was weak at the neck, and Kayla's target paid with his life for this design flaw.

Rei ran exactly at five, and Kayla pivoted back into cover as another target fired back from 11 o'clock.

"2-7, effective target is neck and thorax, copy!" Kayla shouted into her wrist comm.

"1-9, copy all!" Rela shouted back.

Further ahead, Rela popped out of cover and shot a pair of enemies through their throats, her shooting being almost as effective. Satisfied her targets were down, Rela rejoined with Kayla.

"Where the hell did they come from?! And where have you been all this time?!" Rela asked harshly.

"Good question on the first. There's the second," Kayla said as she pointed at Solanna.

"The club is clear. I suggest that you get back on the street and evacuate to your ship. The entire planet appears to be under attack," Solanna shouted from her office.

"Thanks! And call me!" Kayla shouted back.

Rei shot an incredibly angry look towards Kayla, while Rela simply stared in disbelief.

"And to think, I was just happy winning fifty strips on the tongo table!"

─•~:~•─

The bridge shook yet again. Logan was starting to get annoyed.

A few minutes ago, he had been trying to figure out the best way to impress that absolutely cute Romulan Marine. Now, for the second time in two days, he was back in a fight.

"Helm, full impulse. Come about, heading 2-2-1," he ordered from Rei's seat.

Around Alexia, four Orion Brigand class cruisers had dropped out of warp and started lacing into any target they could hit. Nerkit 1 was a neutral planet, and had very little in the way of defenses, either in ships or automated weapons platforms.

Right now, Alexia was all that stood in the way of Orion conquest.

Logan looked over at Kizuna at the science station.

"Still not answering comms?"

As if in reply to his question, another Orion disruptor beam slammed into Alexia's shields. The Brigands were old and nearly obsolete, but it was still four against one.

"I think you've got your answer, Commander."

Commander. Rei now had four gold bars on the strip of leather on the chest of her SDU. But every Captain needed an XO, so Logan now had three gold bars of his own.

"Alright. We've got no choice. Bring all weapons on-line. Target engines and shields, we just want to scare them off so we can get our people off the surface."

Jenkins rolled the ship over, bringing Alexia "belly up" to her enemies and dashing past a line of disruptor fire sent her way. The strike carrier was simply stupefying in her agility at impulse. So far, only one Brigand had managed to land even a single shot on her, and that one shot still didn't account for Alexia's shields and armour.

At Logan's normal position on the weapons console, Kurita shouted over the din of the bridge and the impulse engines.

"Targets locked. Opening fire!"

From her ventral section, Alexia screamed twin orange phaser beams at a Brigand passing "above" her. Both beams lashed into the orb-like cruiser and lit the olive-drab coloured enemy with orange highlights. The initial burst failed to beat the Orion shields, but the second did, and two more phaser beams sliced the aft section of the Brigand apart like a butcher's knife.

While the first target fell harmlessly out of pursuit, a second Brigand raced in from starboard and slammed three plasma torpedoes into Alexia's starboard nacelle.

The bridge again rocked violently.

Standing up, Logan looked back at the weapons console. "Shields?"

"Holding at eighty three percent. They're gonna need something a lot bigger to get through us," Kurita replied.

A dozen more torpedoes rocked the ship. Logan was thrown off his feet and swore under his breath as sparks erupted around the bridge.

"Alright, enough of this," he said as he shoved Kurita out of the way. He quickly entered his personal profile into the console and slammed hard on the firing switch.

Alexia flipped over in space, cutting loose a dozen quantum torpedoes in a full spread. The blue orbs screamed across space and slammed cleanly into their targets. Four Brigands exploded in bright blue light seconds later, almost overwhelming the bridge crew before the auto filters of the view screen snapped on.

Before anyone could celebrate, fifteen more Brigands dropped out of warp and blasted away, with four chasing after Alexia, and the remainder moving out against the rest of the system.

Logan sighed, "Well, on the list of things I'd thought I'd do today, defending a neutral planet against an Orion invasion wasn't part of the plan."

"You and me both, Logan. Orders?" Kizuna asked.

"Keep moving, keep shooting. Clear us a lane to get the Captain and the Major off the surface."

"Aye sir!" everyone replied.

Logan went back to the centre seat and rubbed his temples. After this fight was over, he prayed that Rela would finally agree to a quiet drink.

─•~:~•─

Worf exited warp speed under cloak, and Eyos held her breath. In front of this planet, one hundred Orion cruisers were launching a furious attack. The bulbous shaped cruisers, older and much weaker than a modern Klingon battlecruiser, were making short work of the local defenses.

Only one ship was standing between the planet and disaster.

"Captain, that's a Federation ship," Eyos reported, looking at a PADD while standing beside the command seat.

"He has eyes, todSaH!" Vaton shouted from the helm.

Korvax did indeed have eyes. And he closed them to rub his temples in frustration. His orders from J'mpok were simple. Destroy anything in his way on his way to recover the cargo.

But the Starfleet vessel was presenting an irritating complication.

"Captain, the planet is putting out a general distress call. Their local defenses are nearly gone," Eyos reported again.

Korvax watched the viewscreen closely. The Starfleet vessel, about the same size as Worf, was nimbly weaving its way through the maze of attackers with surprising speed. And its firepower appeared to match his own.

"Status of the Starfleet ship?" Korvax ordered.

Eyos looked closely at the tactical readouts.

"Her shields appear to be holding, Captain. Her weaponry is also operating well."

Three more Orion Brigands exploded seconds after Eyos made her report. Korvax took a deep breath and made a difficult decision.

"All hands, man your battle stations. Helm, set a course at maximum impulse to intercept the Starfleet vessel. Tactical, charge all weapons and prepare to drop the cloak at my command. Your target is that ship. Lock to her warp core and fire to destroy," ordered Korvax.

Eyos turned and shot him a look of anger.

"What are you doing, Captain?! Those are our allies! We can't attack them!"

"You heard my order First Officer! Man your station or leave my bridge!" Korvax shouted back.

Eyos instead turned to the crew.

"All hands, stand down. Communications, open a channel to the Starfleet-"

Eyos was shoved off her feet by Vaton, who then drew his dak'tahg.

"You dare to ignore an order from your Captain?! You will die for this treachery!" he screamed.

He charged at Eyos and raised his knife, but he was too slow.

Eyos drew her father's disruptor and shot Vaton directly through his forehead. Quickly rolling back to her feet, Eyos leveled the weapon at Korvax.

"I have no wish to shoot you as well Captain, but I will not allow you to attack our allies. I will ask you only once to stand aside," she said, taking an effort to keep herself calm.

"You wish to challenge my authority, daughter of Mor? A shame that your father did not properly educate you in our ways. If you wish to lay claim to my command, put the disruptor away and face me as a Klingon warrior, or I'll have you shot where you stand!" Korvax said with a smirk.

Eyos weighed the options in her mind. Obviously, shooting Korvax would be the more efficient choice. But something stirred in her heart, and instead she holstered the disruptor and took a step backwards.

Korvax rose and removed his jacket. A security officer handed him a bat'leth, while another offered Eyos the choice between another bat'leth and a mekleth. She chose the smaller weapon and stood with a ready stance, her right foot behind her centre of mass and her elbows raised to her chest.

"Defend yourself!" Korvax shouted.

The Klingon Captain raised the bat'leth and swung down, aiming to cut Eyos in half. She managed to roll out of the way, only for Korvax to swing wide and nearly cut her in half again.

Eyos swung back, bringing her fist and the length of the blade up, attempting to slice Korvax's neck. But Korvax held the edge in both strength and experience. He blocked Eyos' blade and pushed her backwards, sending her crashing into the deck plate.

"Pathetic!" Korvax shouted, "You have your father's rage, but it seems he never taught you how to fight!"

Like Volkol, like Salimov, he chose to talk instead of fight.

Eyos seized the opportunity. She charged and collapsed Korvax at his knees, crashing him down to the deck plate. And with her opening now clear, she swung hard and buried her mekleth into his skull.

Eyos rose, tossed the blade away, and turned to the rest of the crew.

"I take command of this vessel, as is my right by honourable combat. Any objections?" she asked.

No one said a word. Eyos took the centre seat and channeled father with her next orders.

"Take us in at full speed! Protect that Starfleet ship! And anyone who dies with clean blades or unfired weapons… I'll throw your corpse out of the nearest airlock!"

─•~:~•─

Worf dropped out of cloak directly above Alexia and lashed out at a dozen targets with her forward mounted disruptor cannons. The bolts of red plasma screamed across the blackened space and rocked the surrounding Brigands, exploding the bulbous-shaped cruisers in red explosions.

"Well damn, let it never be said that there isn't a Klingon right when you need one," Logan said with a smile, "Let's make the most of this. Transfer all available reserves to weapons and clear the local space!"

The two alliance ships rapidly raced to their targets. Phasers, disruptors, photon, quantum, and plasma torpedoes, along with numerous CIWS bolts filled the space around Nerkit 1, adding explosions and shockwaves to the melee of the battle.

Twelve Brigands were destroyed in seconds. The remainder of the invasion took the hint and turned away from the planet, launching back into warp speed as quickly as they arrived.

"All clear, Logan. I've got transporter locks on the away team," Kizuna reported.

Rei, Kayla and Rela were beamed onto the bridge a second later. Rei brushed her jacket arms off and took over the seat. "Report."

"Captain, I think we've just blunted an Orion invasion of this planet. Almost a hundred Brigand class cruisers dropped out of warp a few minutes after you beamed down and just started shooting at everything. We destroyed twenty and drove off the rest, with just a bit of help," Logan reported as he pointed at the viewscreen.

"And what would that be?" Rei asked.

Rela walked to the viewscreen. "Oh, I know what that is. One of the new Klingon battle cruisers. Mohg class I think they call it."

"I didn't realize you were that well versed in Klingon tech, Leftenant," Logan said.

"Only when they steal things from us. We built Alehal over a decade ago."

Rei raised her hands in a hushing motion. "Worry about who stole what later. Can you raise that ship for me?"

A heartbeat later, the image of the new Klingon ship was replaced by her modern-looking bridge, and a tall Klingon female rose from the Captain's chair.

"Starfleet vessel, we are the IKS Worf. I am Eyos, daughter of Mor, and I have taken command of this vessel. Do you require any assistance?"

Before Rei could even speak a single word, Kayla interrupted her with a wide smile on her face.

"Eyos! What the hell are you doing here?!"

Eyos returned her smile. "Kayla. I actually didn't expect to see you out here! And is that Rela there too?!"

Rela, in turn, also smiled. "My little Kilvam sister, all grown up. But how did you end up with your own ship already?!"

"It's a long story, Romulan sister. Could I beam aboard and explain the details in person?"

Both Kayla and Rela turned to look at Rei, who could only smile back. "I'm sure that should be fine. Permission granted, Captain Eyos. I'll see you aboard Alexia shortly."

Both Marines quickly walked to the turbo lift to welcome their sister aboard, with Rela carefully adjusting her beret.

"Eyos is going to be so impressed. I'm the most famous Rihann in the galaxy!"

As the turbo lift doors closed, Logan took the empty XO seat beside Rei. "How many sisters does the Major have anyway?"

"Too many," Rei sighed back.

─•~:~•─