Amelia had been waiting all night for the door to open. She had been waiting for Corvallis to come to her as she mentally prepared for anything that he would throw her way. Her head was on the pillow and her hand was tucked under it, her fingers numb as they were clenched to the chains that was coiled under her pillow. Amelia had never been so rigid in her life. Of course there had been plenty of moments where she'd found herself up most of the night with her mind actively awake due to test anxiety or the occasional worry over whether or not Sulu was actually going to come out to his family as he'd told her several times. In those past times, times of a more innocent nature, she'd eventually gotten over it and fallen asleep. Amelia could not find sleep even if she'd tried to. Her mind was swimming in plans and death and things she could say and ways she could stall and Leighland's blank expression. She wondered what Leonard McCoy was doing, if he was wondering about her. She thought about Skylar and the war, all of which was coming at her at warp speed. She wondered if Skylar was okay. Surely as a chief security officer and weapon's master – and just being Skylar in general – something as epically horrid as the day's events was not too taboo … well, maybe for a Starship officer who was not typically engaged in such hand to hand, personal combat this was a bit different; a bit extreme.

Amelia was unsure of how she would handle any of it in the future. Shed never literally seen dying. She had seen death when she had seen the body of her deceased grandfather at a funeral wake. But dying, dying was something different. It was a lot harder to swallow and digest. Even now her stomach turned and tightened at the thought of Leighland's death. She'd told herself inwardly plenty of times since then that she would not think of it. But somehow her subconscious was screwing with her. This scene made her think about what the morning held. There was going to be plenty more deaths, she was sure of it. Many of which would be by her hand, she was nearly positive.

I've never killed anything, she thought as a single tear slipped down her cheek from the corner of her eye.

As true as this statement was, her chest tensed as her mind spoke clearly to her: Tomorrow, you will fight or you will die.

Amelia did not want to die on Armaga Set-ta, and she definitely did not want to die by the hands of Cobia and Corvallis. She knew that Skylar felt the same way; neither of them wanted to be apart of a body count of a foreign war.

No, we won't. We will fight. We'll fight until Jim finds us. Until Jim finds us.

But how would he find them? … Oh, yes, the towers … Cobia wanted her to aid his engineers in making the defenses of the planet even more impenetrable, even more shielded against foreign threat. She would have to sabotage the entire cloaking device. Once the planet was on the censor readings, the landing party would come. The Enterprise would come …

That is … if they haven't left.

Another tear slipped from her eye. They couldn't have left.

You know Jim. And you know the helm abilities of Hikaru Sulu and Pavel Chekov. When they aren't busy sneaking around oogling each other, they're kicking ass at pulling the Enterprise out of any tough situation.

Amelia's grip tightened around the chain. "No," she said aloud in a stern whisper. "No. Jim will come."

:::::

Cobia stood at a balcony at the back of the palace overlooking the ring. His eyes were transfixed across the vast desert-like field to the outer forestry that was consumed in heavy cloud-cover. He was in his royal dressing gown, his withered hands behind his back. His broad shoulders were pushed back in perfect posture as he stood with his bearded chin up, his thick eyebrows hovering just above his focused green eyes.

"Father."

The sudden movement of his son behind him did not startle him. He offered no response of even gesture of the young man's existence as Corvallis stood next to his father against the railing of the balcony.

Corvallis's slender fingers rested upon the dark wood, his long blond hair shimmering in the moonlight as it hung down his back in a low ponytail. He was still donning his royal garments from the day; as elegant as the material was, it was also worn. It had seen plenty of action from recent events as well as the training that it had endured over the past few days.

"Are they out there, Majesty?"

Cobia did not look at him. "Oh yes. They still remain on our sensor readings."

Corvallis looked out into the distance of the forestry. "Do you suspect they will find us?"

"No," responded Cobia simply. "I will send Amelia to the obelisk tomorrow. She will attempt to make contact with her ship, no doubt. I have already had the system programmed to show the ship's position as leaving orbit. Regardless of whether or not they do so, she will believe it to be so; this will instill the fear that is necessary to bring this entire travesty down." He turned to Corvallis, finally. "She will choose between living and bearing your heir, or she will join her dear friend Skylar in an untimely and persuasive death."

"Father, I will to be the one to kill Skylar."

Cobia gritted his teeth. "No," he replied sharply. "It shall be me!"

Corvallis narrowed his eyes at his father yet maintained an even tone in his response. "You are old; her skills are unmatched. Even you can attest to that.

Cobia looked away from his son. "I will … have an advantage."

"Then at least allow me one fight with her," Corvallis demanded quietly. "I shall seek her out during the engagement, as I always do."

Cobia did not respond. Instead, both prince and king remained silent for a moment, both of their stares in the same general direction. Finally, Cobia spoke softly, "If the Enterprise does in fact remain on the planet's surface, you and a group of your best will have to head promptly to the gorge to set off the photon grenades. I will not have that vessel leave the surface."

"And if they are successful at their escape?"

Cobia turned and looked at his son closely. "Then we will gun them down with the phaser banks."

"We have not yet tested their abilities, father. The energy holstered may be proble –"

"I do not care," Cobia cut in piercingly. "This war will give us an excellent chance to test them, won't it?"

Corvallis said nothing. Cobia instantly grabbed his son by the shoulder, digging his fingers into the fabrics shielding his skin.

"Nothing can go wrong, tomorrow. We cannot allow these Starfleet women to overpower us. If they do, the kingdom of Armaga Set-ta is dead." He released his son and gathered himself with a deep inhale. Corvallis merely stared at him, ignoring the pain in his shoulder. "The women, by command, willindubitably attack the shield towers; the obelisk will be a main target, if any of them has any sense. There will also need to be a perimeter around the ring. You will assign your men to these positions tonight, as well as form a group of your most able-bodied men to lead to destroy the Enterprise."

Corvallis silently nodded.

"You will need to aid in protecting me," Cobia added. "I intend to have only one role in this war, and that is to cut down Skylar before her simple-minded followers. I will show these wretched females what it is to go up against the kingdom of Armaga Set-ta."

Again, and with a straight-lined mouth, Corvallis nodded.

:::::

Skylar had never prayed before, but as the dawn broke and the early morning's rays filtered in through the part of the curtains, Skylar awoke but kept her eyes closed. She did not want to be disturbed by anything or anyone. She did not want to be greeted by young, fearful faces. Nor did she want anyone's blessing for the task at hand. Instead, her need to mentally prepare herself succumbed to a higher level than she'd ever put her hope in before. There had never been a time in her life that she'd asked anyone outside of her being for help, especially in the realm of fighting. She was her own warrior; she chose if she conquered or died. Dying was never an option. However, choosing that option for hundreds of other souls was not something she could manage on her own. Plus, Skylar did not know where Amelia was, nor did she know what kind of mental or physical state she was in. For all she knew, Amelia Takashi could be hanging as high as Leighland, a second flag to adorn the war at hand. And so, with a defeated and humbled heart, Skylar began to murmur to someone else far, far away. She didn't make her requests too complicated. She didn't even ask that she be spared in the battle, despite her will do so. She did not want to die on the grounds of Armaga Set-ta, but she gave up her spiritual shield so that maybe the others could be saved.

After about a half of an hour of this, Skylar opened her eyes. She heard rustling beyond the thin walls of Leighland's hut. She sat up and looked toward the draped doors. Leighland's children sat on the dusty floor, peering out at their world. They did not notice Skylar as she swung her legs over the side of the cot. Skylar saw Havara sharpening a long blade that sat across her lap.

"How'd you manage that?" Skylar asked Havara quietly.

Havara did not look up at the question. Instead, she continued to stroke the blade with a rock almost as though she was stroking an enchanting and friendly animal, much like a cat. "It was my mother's. Many of the daughter's of the resistance have their mother's blades." Havara looked up Skylar. "We've just been awaiting the right moment to use them."

Leighland's children both looked back at the two women who now stood together. Skylar was looking down at her uniform tunic as she brushed off the dirt that tainted its insignia. She pulled at her sleeves, trying to calm the apparent wrinkles. She bent down as attempted to smooth out any scuffs along her boots. As a security chief, the boots were always impossible to keep clean. On those very special occasions when work was lightened ever so slightly, she and her crew shined their boots. It was almost a primitive thing to do, but boot tops were a considerably useful surface; the professional appearance was always a considerate gift to give a victim as a final presentation before their eyes closed, sometimes forever. Skylar, among many, many others aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise had worked hard to earn their uniforms; the least she could as any general of a makeshift army of untrained women was look presentable.

Standing tall beside Havara, she took a deep breath.

"Have you ever done this before?"

Skylar looked at Havara. "No. I only wanted to be vacationing on Lambda 5. Instead of complimentary drinks and plenty of playtime with my fiancé, I'm leading a nation of slaves up against an army. This is probably the most unfair-fair fight I will ever be apart of."

Havara smirked. "You skipped out on sexual relations with your Vulcan to save us?"

"No, Cobia interrupted my sexual relations, and I'm gonna kick his ass into the next space quadrant for doing so." She turned her attention to the children. "Sorry."

"Are you ready?" Havara asked quietly as they both walked toward the front of the hut. Leighland's children parted the curtains for them.

"Not so much without my phaser," Skylar answered honestly. "But it's better than being attacked in space. I'll just have to stick with my fists and here I can say that with confidence."

"I shall like to see space," Havara said. "Even in death, I shall find my way up there. My soul will be free after today, in one form or another."

Skylar looked at her. Then she and Havara stepped into the morning.

:::::

Somewhere off in the distance of the palace, a loud horn blew. Chaos ensued thereafter, much to Skylar's dismay.

"We need to force them into the ring," Skylar yelled to the hundreds of women who stood amongst the agricultural fields. Behind her, hundreds more men in armor and carrying weaponry charged. Skylar did not look back at them. "My ship is somewhere in the forest. If you can at any point, head into the trees. If you can't, leave no man alive." The thunderous cloud of men grew closer. "Today you will have your freedom!" Deep war cries rang out from behind her. "I will do my best to bring Cobia down – but don't hesitate in making the kill." Mpals were raised, shields were up and long, jagged swords were thrust forward. "This is your war – this is your victory! Attack the palace and the towers –"

But Skylar did not have time to finish her small speech. A few swords came flying overhead. Before Skylar could see if any of them had hit their targets, she turned and charged, Havara at her heels and the rest following. To an outsider who was unfamiliar with the situation, this scene would have been very queer: a recognizable army of men going to battle against dress-clad women and teens, some armed with swords while other carried other tools and rocks. This war looked very much one-sided. This is what Amelia considered as she looked between the bars of her window, observing the scene. She noted a female who stood out in her red shirt, a female who had dove gracefully and tripped two men at the head of the lines, securing their swords from them and cutting at them from behind. A smile spread across Amelia's face, as weird as this was. Skylar had control over her part of the war, and now it was time to gain hers.

Hearing the heavy steps on the wooden floor of a guard coming towards her room, Amelia dashed toward the bed where the chains sat under her pillow. The door opened and in a fluid motion, Amelia seized the chains and swung them and herself around, the familiar clanking sound chiming as the chains made contact with the side of the guard's head. Watching the guard crumble to a heap on the ground, Amelia, in a fit of adrenaline, grabbed the guard's shield (he bore no other weapons) and ran down the hall. The palace was already in a frenzy. Men ran about here and there in obvious efforts to keep everyone that did not belong behind the wooden walls out. As she ran down the hallway, she smashed through two guards, sending them each other into the walls. She heard them scrambling to stand behind her but she continued on, smacking another guard in the face with her shield as he turned the corner, and then catching another across the throat with the outer rim of the shield. Another guard came out from an adjacent room and slammed into her, sending Amelia to the ground with just enough time to shield herself from the blow he sent her way as his sword came smashing down over her.

Somersaulting backwards, she rolled into a defensive stance as he lunged at her with his blade. She managed to knock the sword away and block his next swing at her. Hearing another set of footprints and peering at the shield that the guard in front of her carried, she immediately flipped the shield over and behind her head as it made contact with a sword from behind. Spinning out to the side, she watched the guard who had attacked from behind her move with his own inertia toward the guard that had been before her, throwing him off. With a loud groan, she lunged at them both with the shield, knocking them each in the head until they fell on top of each other. Grabbing a sword, Amelia turned and ran in the opposite direction of a small group of guards that had caught up with her.

"How the hell do I get out of here?" she demanded, searching as she ran. Loud screams and the clashing of swords indicated that she was headed towards the action. She came to a window on the side of the palace where she saw the war had progressed towards the ring. This also meant that the energy tower and obelisk were nearby. Her eyes scanned for Skylar in the thick crowd but she was instantly distracted as a blow from behind sent her into bars of the window, her shield falling to her feet.

"Now, now, remember, we cannot engage in the pleasure of killing her," she heard a man say from behind her. Amelia spun around and her sword came into contact with the sword of a guard. Ignoring the intense pain in her back, she lunged at him, their swords clanking together as he blocked her attack. Her brain focused on recalling basic Federation hand to hand tactic – a course she hadn't revisited in a while – and she attempted to allow the knowledge to flow freely. She also drew upon from what she'd seen of Skylar's recent feats and the times she'd looked in on Skylar's training courses to take a break from programming and to get a good listen of the classic tunes that poured out from the tumbling room. As of yet, her remembrance was serving her well; she had kept the guard she was currently engaged with at bay, while three others stood around waiting to jump in. As one did with a sly smirk on his face, she twirled around at him with her sword out and sliced his throat. Blood spilled out at her as his eyes bulged and she instinctively dodged him as he fell forward, a small gasp escaping her lips.

My first definite kill, her brain processed.

Suddenly, she was hit from the side as the third guard punched at her head, sending Amelia to the ground. Wincing at the eruption of pain from her temple, she saw the guard run at her. Her hand flew to the sword at her side and almost closing her eyes at what was to come, she struck out at his shins with the sword. Her eyes shut. After a moment, a thud sounded next to her and a loud yell caused her to flinch. Amelia's eyes popping open, she saw the guard now laying next to her with a blatant look of both terror and pain as they both noticed that his sword had flown a few feet away. Despite his fears, Amelia did not make the kill. Instead, she stood tall and pointed her sword at the lone guard she had fought first who stood eying the blood that flowed from his fallen comrades.

"How do I get to the obelisk?" she demanded, pointing her sword at his forehead.

The guard gritted his teeth. "Your fighting style is very cunning."

"Answer me or you'll have a new hairline!" she seethed, pressing the tip of the blade at his skin.

The guard dropped his weapon. "Continue down this corridor. There will be a door that will lead you into the outside of the ring," the guard confessed in shame. "The energy cell block is there."

"Where is the cloaking device?"

"The obelisk. You'd have to destroy the obelisk."

Amelia took her sword and turned it sideways, smacking the guard across the face with it, sending him to his knees. The guard, touching his burning skin, looked up as Amelia bent over him.

"Who's the woman now?" she spat and then turned on her heel towards the corridor.

Outside of the palace walls, luck seemed to be on Skylar's side as she and Havara fought close together, pushing the enemy lines closer and closer towards the ring.

"Someone's going to have to take down the towers!" she called over her shoulder to Havara as she ducked under a guard's blow. She struck at him from her crouched position, hurling her sword into his abdomen.

Havara swung around and sliced another guard's throat as he charged at her. "I know! I will lead a small group."

"When that's finished, you'll need to send people inside to find Amelia!" Skylar received a hit from the side of a shield but remained balanced as she spun out of it and then side kicked the shield so that it was knocked from the opposing guard's hands. She then kicked at his face, spun around again and slammed the butt of the sword into the side of his head. She looked at Havara, who had just finished off another guard. "Amelia can signal the Enterprise and we need help. Too many of us are going down."

"Then we cannot take down the towers just yet. They will be necessary for contact," Havara mentioned as her eyes caught a glimpse of Corvallis through the crowd of bodies, swords, shields and fists. "Take heed, Corvallis stalks you."

Skylar motioned Havara away with the tilt of her head. "Go, and grab a few ladies on your way. Find Amelia."

Havara nodded and evasively ran off.

:::::

The sun was moving high overhead. The heat was beginning to become noticeable as the sweat poured from Skylar's pores. Blood also mixed in with this sweat, but she did her best to ignore it. She also tried to ignore the pain that gripped every part of her from the constant blows she received from every side of her at sporadic moments. Something was not completely correct about the situation. While she was sure no guard was purposely avoiding her, she knew that none of the guards was attempting to kill her. Many of them did not even use their swords against her. Rather, they used their shields and their fists. And while many of them got in a few good hits, Skylar always got in the last. None of them on the entire field had the capacity to be the aerialist she had trained to be through all of the gymnastic and trapeze-like courses she had invested in. Some of them would watch in awe as she managed to flip over them, her sword cutting into their backs so easily … almost too easily. All the while, Skylar maintained a close eye on Corvallis, who merely walked through the crowds with his brilliant green eyes on her, breaking contact momentarily to stab at an unsuspecting woman who was engaged with another guard.

After a while of this pursuing, Skylar caught sight of a younger teenage girl in Corvallis's path. A gasp escaping her lips, she started to turn toward Corvallis when a sword came clamoring down against hers. Within seconds, Skylar was now engaged in another fight, but her eyes kept darting towards Corvallis who now smirked at the back of his newly established prey.

While Skylar was preoccupied, the rest of the war had splashed into the ring just around the tower nearest the palace. Havara slashed at guard as she ran with four women trailing behind her. Havara caught sight of Amelia who was skirting along the outside of the ring in the direction of the energy cell block. She was being pursued by three guards, all of whom held their swords out at her. A smile crossed Havara's lips as she pointed out at them with her sword, silently giving the women behind her their directives.

The three women hind her cried out, catching the attention of the guards as they crashed directly into them. Amelia leapt onto the second step of the ladder against the tower, sticking her sword out behind her in an effort to not be pulled from it. Her sword clashed without another and she looked down, ready to fight. But before she could do anything defensive, Amelia saw the familiar and stained face of Havara, who had blocked Amelia's swing just in time.

"I assume you mean to make contact with your ship?"

Amelia smirked. "In the most primitive of ways." She began to climb, Havara climbing up after her. Once they reached the top of the platform, Amelia was greeted by two guards. She thrust her sword at the first, pushing him onto the more secure part of the room at the top of the ladder and allowing for Havara to pull herself up onto the platform. Havara immediately took on the other guard. The guards both attacked the girls mercilessly in an effort to keep them away from the control panels that lined the outer walls of the tower. Amelia saw the computers and began spinning around to evade her guard's blows and get in closer to him. Finally, she managed to maneuver around him so that he was on the outside towards the edge of the platform. He lunged at her with his sword, Amelia promptly moving out of the way. In a quick decision, Amelia dropped her sword, grabbed the wrist and upper forearm of the guard's outstretched arm and she kneed him in the stomach. As the guard doubled over in pain, she kicked the guard in the side, sending him over the edge of the platform. Hearing Havara's grunts as she was involved in her fight, Amelia ran at the guard's back. Hearing her steps, the guard turned ever so slightly and Havara plunged her sword deep into his chest. Amelia then grasped at his back and swung him around with much effort as the dead weight rolled out of her hands and over the side of the platform.

Breathing heavily, Amelia looked to Havara. "They'll send up more guys."

"I'll watch the ladder," Havara replied, just as out of breath.

Amelia ran to the controls. Her heart skipped a beat as she saw the main screen where a red dot beeped up at her. The words FOREIGN OBJECT flashed over the dot.

The Enterprise!

"Can you contact them?" Havara called out over her shoulder as she swung down at a guard that was climbing up the ladder.

Her eyes flying over the instruments in assessment, Amelia called out, "It's a completely different system!" Her fingers pounded on keys. "Shit! This entire system is locked." Behind her, she heard Havara grunting and the sounds of swords clashing together. She began to tap various keys. Her eyes continued to scan every possible sequence she could combine.

"You might want to make haste!" Havara yelled, sounding very much in need of assistance.

Amelia saw a weaponry control system nearby and immediately dashed to it. A sight screen hung just above the panel. "I'm gonna have to blow the device!"

"You won't be able to send a message at all!" Havara called. "The energy will scramble the system!"

"Yeah, but at least the Enterprise will pick up on our location," Amelia shot back. She pulled the sight down over her eyes and reached out for the controls. Guiding the sight so that the lines within the mask aligned with the obelisk across the ring, Amelia took a deep breath and punched both of the buttons. Like a virtual video game, she watched the obelisk explode through the screen. Everyone on the platform and on ground level paused as the giant tower came crumbling down.

Amelia backed away from the control system as she code on the panels began to scramble. Her eyes caught sight of the main viewing screen as her ears did not pick up that peaceful beeping any longer. She watched the red dot move up off of the screen. Amelia's eyes followed it off of the panel, catching sight of something familiar – Skylar's phaser! – and she reached out for it just as a thundering of engines rang out in the distance.

Amelia's heart ceased to pound. The entire field had gone silent it seemed as the engines roared from beyond the trees and fog. Amelia and Havara moved to the outside of the tower room where they had the best seats in the house as the U.S.S. Enterprise came into view, the hull surfacing out from under the fog. Everyone watched with mouths agape as the ship hovered for a moment before the back engines glowed a deep blue.

"No," came the small sigh of Amelia as she watched the ship blast over the war as though none of it existed – as though she did not exist. There would be no way for the bridge crew to visually see the turmoil below. They were traveling too fast.

There was a moment of anticipation. There was a moment of hope that the ship would turn around for them all. For Skylar and Amelia, there was a moment of waiting for Scotty to lock onto their coordinates and beam them aboard the ship, away from the nightmare. But in those moments, nothing came for any of them except the heavy realization that any hope they'd had of rescue via the Enterprise had flown away at warp speed with the ship.