Paint and Powder

A Star Trek anthology by Andrew Joshua Talon

DISCLAIMER: This is a non-profit fan based work of prose. Star Trek: The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager et al are the property of CBS Television, and creation of Gene Roddenberry. Please support the official release.

During the Dominion War...

Perhaps Enterprise was just getting old, but she couldn't help finding strange, almost humorous patterns to her life. First officers with a talent for getting the ladies. Brash tactical officers. Incredible captains. God like beings who were assholes.

And of course, strange fleets that seemed to echo past moments in her life. Or at least, moments she considered part of her past lives.

She was part of a special battlegroup, accompanied by her sister ship USS Yorktown. Both Sovereign-class starships were to be the spearpoint, but accompanying them...

"I must admit," Akagi spoke, her broad Galaxy-class form slicing through warp easily with her fellow vessels, "it is nice to be a carrier again."

"A retrofitted battleship into a carrier again," her sister Kaga, another Galaxy-class starship, teased lightly alongside. Akagi huffed.

"Look who's talking!" She cried.

"Ladies, you're both retrofitted carriers," Hiryu spoke with a grin, "but my sister and I are dedicated carriers!"

Hiryu and Soryu, both Akira-class starships, kept pace easily with the larger starships. Yorktown chuckled.

"As well as heavy cruisers," the gentle giant reminded them teasingly. Soryu adjusted her glasses, while Hiryu snorted.

"So?" Hiryu demanded, "it's the 24th century! We're supposed to be multirole!"

"Geez ladies, you act like you've been reincarnated from scrap," Hornet complained.

"At least we didn't get a downgrade," Hiryu shot back. Hornet huffed, the tiny Defiant-class escort near the center of the giants she flocked with.

"You call this a downgrade?" Hornet asked mockingly. "Whee!" She did a barrel roll, much to the exasperation of her crew. "Ha! See? I can move faster than any of you old scows!"

"Watch your mouth," Akagi huffed, "you little brat."

"Better a brat than an old lady~!" Hornet sang back.

"I'm not an old scow!" Nagara cried, the Steamrunner-class vessel sounding offended as she stayed near the Enterprise.

"They weren't talking about you, dumbass!" Northampton said despairingly, the Excelsior-class cruiser flanking Kaga.

"You're the one who's old, hag!" Nagara shot back. Northampton scowled.

"I'm just experienced!"

"Hmph," Hammann, a Saber-class starship, huffed as the two continued to argue. She stayed close alongside Yorktown, something she'd always done in their many incarnations, "do they have to be so noisy?"

"I find it charming," Yorktown said, "and rather nice."

"They're so annoying," Yukikaze groaned, the Zodiac-class starship bringing up the rear and keeping her sensors on full, "it gets so tiresome."

"You could always just shut off the communication links," Kaga pointed out coolly. Yukikaze winced.

"W-Wait! No! That's fine! I meant no offense!"

Enterprise broke the chatter with laughter. She felt her sisters all staring at her through the Borderlands, and she shook her head.

"Sorry," she said, "I just find it amusing we're all together. Last time ships of our name were all together, we were fighting one another."

"Hmph," Kaga snorted, "our namesakes may have... But we fight for a greater cause now."

"For the sake of the Federation and peace," Yorktown agreed.

"So, let's show these bastards, that 'peaceful' doesn't mean 'harmless'," Hornet crowed.

"We're coming up on the target," Yukikaze announced, "I've deceived their early warning systems."

"My captain has ordered dropping out of warp in thirty seconds," Enterprise stated, and all the ships got ready for battle, "Hornet, Northampton, Nagara, Hammann: Screen us as we come out of warp. Akagi, Kaga, Hiryu, Soryu: Launch fighters and torpedoes in support. Yukikaze, stay back and begin jamming them. As for us?"

Enterprise stood up tall.

"Yorktown, let's cut to the chase," she ordered. "ENGAGE!"

"Right!" Her fellow ships cried. They dropped out of warp right on top of a very surprised Dominion starbase. The cruisers and destroyers began firing away, engaging the escorts. The carriers launched their Peregrine and Valkyrie fighters, while bombarding the station from range with their torpedoes. Yukikaze began generating a host of sensor ghosts and holographic projections, dividing the fire of the Jem'hadar fighters.

Enterprise and Yorktown closed the range with the starbase, and began firing on it at close range. They blew away the weapons emplacements and shield generators, allowing the torpedoes and fighter attack to get through. Hornet cackled maniacally as she blasted her way through Jem'hadar fighters, Northampton and Nagara laying down covering fire. Hammann still stuck close to Yorktown, taking down any Jem'hadar or Cardassian ships that tried to flank her. Hiryu and Soryu closed in, keeping Kaga and Akagi protected with their torpedoes and phasers.

The starbase's shields dropped, and Enterprise saw her chance.

"OWARI DA!"

A final set of quantum torpedo salvos by Enterprise and Yorktown flew into the starbase's main reactors, and the entire base went up in a massive explosion. The fleet pulled back, safely out of range. Hornet laughed.

"HAHA! Take that, you Jell-O bastards!" She cried.

"Ugh, your insults haven't improved at all in a century," Akagi groaned.

"Still better than yours, fatass!"

"Brat!"

"Fatass!"

"Enough of that, ladies!" Enterprise laughed, "onto the next target!"

The bickering did continue, but it was fired with the passion of fighting alongside one another. The fire of victory. It was heady and familiar, and despite the terrible nature of war...

Enterprise wouldn't have it any other way.

Old gals having fun and kicking ass, the old fashioned way...