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.

Picard sucks. Let's keep fixing it with shipgirls!

In hindsight, it was stupid to think they could get to the Coppelius system without attracting attention. She was basically Starfleet's most wanted right now. Even so, Enterprise didn't expect a whole fleet of Inquiry-class battlecruisers to be chasing them from nearly the moment they'd left Romulus.

"Is that-Am I counting that right?" Enterprise asked in disbelief, "over thirty of them?!"

"Looks like," Thane said grimly. "Marco Polo, analysis?"

Marco Polo's AI was a tall, beautiful human woman with long, teal hair and dark red eyes. She was curvy and elegant, and stood proudly on her bridge now that she was freed from lockdown. Marco Polo shook her head.

"A lot of them seem to be slaved drone ships," she said, "run from a few command vessels via a dumb VI."

"The Romulans used drone ships once, didn't they?" Enterprise asked grimly. Marco Polo nodded back.

"I think we know how Admiral Oh or General Oh or whatever intends to maintain her power," Marco Polo said. Thane sighed, and looked over at Throu.

"How long until they catch up to us?"

"Seven minutes, eight seconds," the Medusan said flatly. Thane looked back at Enterprise, and set her jaw.

"We're going to buy you some time," she said. Enterprise's eyebrows rose. Data sat up.

"There is no need for self sacrifice-" Data began, but Thane snorted.

"Please. We can handle this," she stated, "and we intend to be rewarded with plenty of medals afterwards. But you need to get to your captain, now."

"At last, I agree with her," Sela muttered. She looked at Enterprise. "Focus on the mission!"

Enterprise hesitated. Marco Polo smiled back.

"Don't worry Enterprise," she transmitted, "I will follow your example... And try to make the impossible possible."

Enterprise returned the smile, full of warmth.

"I know you will," she said to the younger AI. She turned to Captain Thane.

"I won't say goodbye... I'll just say, 'God's speed.'"

Thane nodded back, her antenna held high.

"Same to you," she returned. The Marco Polo cut the transmission, and pulled up in a tight loop. She then hit her warp engines to full, jumping back and heading right for the fleet of her sisters. Enterprise bit her lower lip as she watched them go. Even Data, without his emotion chip, looked solemn.

"Are we going to get going or not?" Sela demanded. Enterprise sighed.

"Fine," she grunted. "Plot the fastest course there."

"It's through a Borg transwarp tunnel," Sela explained, sitting down at the helm and entering the coordinates, "a short slipstream jump will get us there. Now!"

"Engage," Data prompted. Enterprise nodded, and engaged her slipstream drive. It was something she could only use for short jumps, but she had enough power for a jump to the coordinates. The universe turned into a green tunnel through the stars, letting her leap across multiple lightyears, before she dropped out. She entered another strange tunnel, right through subspace. Her shields strained, and her deflectors whined, but it wasn't tasking to her. Not nearly as tasking as her last jaunt through a Borg transwarp tunnel though.

She burst back into normal space only a few minutes later, into a G-type star system. One M-Class planet, inhabited. With several Romulan vessels converging around a ship in orbit. The target vessel was La Sirena, a Kaplan F17 Speed Freighter.

"Yes, I think this is the place," Enterprise quipped. "And your time table was off."

"You threw it off," Sela growled. "And we still haven't got time!"

"Indeed," Data commented, fingers flying over the helm, "Enterprise, warp jump, now."

Enterprise engaged her warp drive for a quick jump, Data's fingers helping her calculate the proper trajectories. She jumped right into the middle of the fleet formation, dropping out of warp on top of the tiny freighter with her shields up, and her weapons fully charged.

She zoomed in on the view she had of the cockpit of the Sirena. She spotted her old captain, gaping in astonishment back at her. She allowed herself a smile.

"Romulan fleet, this is the Federation starship Enterprise," Data stated, "disengage immediately or prepare to be fired upon."

They got a return transmission. Enterprise put it up on the viewer. And there she was: Oh, now in a Romulan uniform. Sela's smugness was almost tangible. The Romulan infiltrator gazed back evenly at them.

"Enterprise... Data... And Sela," she stated, "how nice of you all to join us."

"You didn't expect me to miss out, did you?" Enterprise sneered, "your whole plan is blown. Surrender. Even your entire fleet can't take me on!"

Oh smiled coldly. Another transmission hit Enterprise... And her holographic avatar staggered. She clutched at her chest, her limbs shaking, as her systems began to shut down one by one. Data responded immediately, tapping the keys on his console to try and determine what was going on.

"Enterprise? Enterprise!" Data called. Oh laughed, soft and deadly.

"You shipgirls are all alike: You think yourselves protectors of the Federation. You're nothing more than machines. Pitiful machines. I've been in your Starfleet for decades. I have planned for this for ages. You will die here, Enterprise: And I will build my new order on your broken hull and the bodies of your captain and crew. And you Sela?"

She smirked unpleasantly, as her fleet targeted Enterprise. She struggled, trying to keep her systems online, trying to get around the cyber attacks... They just kept coming! And among the casualties were her shields and weapons.

"Thank you for making it so easy to deal with you, as well," Oh sneered. "OPEN FIRE!"

Here we go...