The Klingon Bird of Prey received the coordinates. It did not hesitate.
"Fire Torpedoes!" a Klingon shouted
A spread of about 5 Photon Torpedoes flew aimed in the direction where the coordinates were given.
Though the Romulan Warbird was quick to bring it's Shields online, the Klingons rejoiced in their hearts.
Captain John Carter. U.S.S. William Decker. Risa. Often told he needs to take more shore leave, just this once, he followed the advice.
"Captin, distress call from the U.S.S. Vanguard. They are under attack and requesting assistance."
Carter sighed and turned back to the Bridge.
"Intercept course. Maximum Warp."
With that he pressed the ship intercom
"All hands, battlestations."
The Excelsior Class ship leapt forward, leaving Risa...and peace...behind.
"Captain, the Mogai has been intercepted by an unusual torpedo. Their shields are holding, but they've taken minor hull damage. Cloaking appears useless. They're requesting orders."
Twin metallic hands fold upon themselves as the figure leans back into their chair, shrouded in darkness. "Fascinating." A metallic voice chuckles. "It appears the Federation has a new toy. The Mogai won't last against the shielding on a Galaxy... unless..." The figure leans forward and sneers. "We use our toy too. Tell the Mogai that use of the Hargh'Peng is authorized. Cook them."
A quick moment later, the Mogai stops firing, shifting all power to the engines. It dives, turns, and lines itself for a run on the Vanguard's underbelly. As it races forward at full speed, a single brilliant and eerie red light forms from the torpedo bay. Seconds later, the Hargh'Peng streaks towards the target just ahead of the Mogai itself.
The U.S.S. William Decker dropped out of warp 4 km below the Vanguard and was struck by a torpedo, it ripped through the primary shielding and the ablative armour, punching a hole through the Saucer and killing main power.
"Well gentlemen, we took the hit. Now let's hope Webster's claim of the Vanguard being as strong as a Dreadnought is tr-"
The Captain watched as the Vanguard pulled off moves that an escort would struggle with. The Vanguard moved to 3km behind the Mogai and opened fire, phaser's and torpedo's leaving the Vanguard and shredding the Mogai.
"Tactical, lock those SoB's down! Tractor Beam! Prepare a Heavy Tricobalt Device! Let's nuke the ba****ds!"
Below decks, a heavily armed security escorted the device to Torpedo Launcher 1, and loaded it.
"Device loaded Captain."
"Target the singularity core and fire everything. Captain Shor, inform your crew to prepare for subspace shockwaves. Contact the William Decker, inform them we will be Extending Shields around them and Transferring Shield Strength. Fire when ready."
The Vanguard targeted the Mogai's singularity core, 4 photon torpedo's bracketing the Heavy Tricobalt Device, phaser fire draining the shields.
Nearby, an amused smile is followed by a slight chuckle. "Impressive. Have we recorded everything?"
"Yes, Captain. The Mogai performed perfectly. We've recorded all the combat data."
The Captain nods. "Well then, it's time for the end game. Signal the Mogai. Transmit and incinerate."
The Mogai sends a narrow-banded, encrypted transmission to the Vanguard and Station Argo. When decoded, it states only five words: "Objective complete. Commence operation Vor'kap." Then the Mogai turns, full power to shields, and accelerates straight towards the Vanguard, it's singularity core and remaining Hargh'Peng on overload. A second, wide band transmission is sent as the suicide run commences: It shows a Klingon at the helm, surrounded by a mix of Klingons and Romulans operating the bridge. The Klingon shouts: "In death, we give glory to the Empire! Death to traitors!" Transmission ends.
Silently, with all attention focused on the Mogai's orchestrated death run, a second cloaked ship exits the combat zone.
The Mogai speeds towards the Vanguard, the crew of the Federation ship panicking, knowing that the Vanguard can't move fast enough to escape the detonation radius. Captain Webster however, is smiling.
"Engineering, are we ready?"
"Captain, it hasn't been tested! I canne gar-"
"Go/No Go, Chief."
There's a sigh on the comm, before a resigned Scottish voice replies, "Go, sir."
The Vanguard fires a highly modified, narrow beam phaser at the Mogai's port nacelle, while a repulsor beam at the port nacelle.
The sudden stress rips the port nacelle from the Mogai, causing the ship to veer violently, as the Vanguard fires up her Prototype Gravitic Modulation Impulse Engines and engages full reverse, putting 2.56 km between themselves and the Mogai, which explodes, the Hargh'Peng detonating.
"Raise Paratrinic Shields!"
The Modified Paratrinic shields filter most of the radiation out, ensuring that the radiation is immediately lethal.
"Get us out of the radiation bracket. Contact all friendlies' and get a damage report. Order all allies to converge on Outpost Argo. Captain Shor, accompany me to my Ready Room."
The Captain stands, and heads to his ready room, already bracing himself for the butchers bill of the attack on his ship, and already preparing a report to Commodore Ashworth
The Mabel warped into the fray...just seconds after it had ended.
Captain Areyis demanded a report.
"The U.S.S. Vanguard appears to have suffered moderate damage, nothing serious, and the U.S.S. William Decker has suffered major damage to it's hull.
There also appears to be a K'Tang Class Bird of Prey here...."
Areyis responded. "Open a hailing frequency to the Vanguard, ask them what has happened, and send a message to the William Decker to ask them if they will require a tractor beam tow to get back to the Outpost.....keep red alert and prepare to engage the Bird of Prey if it should attempt anything"
Shor looks at Marcus with a smile, now respecting him as a warrior.
"Two...years ago....I served under the Honorable General Wrot'ka! But now....General Kul, a foolish dog has taken
his place... He has been foolish enough to give power to a former enemy of mine and yours.....Riles, the Gorn
I will aid your fleet in destroying Riles....and Riles alone. But you....you must let me speak with your superiors in
order to do this.....do you have any questions?"
Shor folded his arms, looking with his wild gaze at the Starfleet Captain.
And a short distance away, the U.S.S. Zeiko collides with the freighter, tearing off a nacelle while ripping a hole in their central cargo hold. Amidst the burning bridge, lying beneath a fallen console, Captain Harshiff cradles the remains of his shattered tea cup, coughs blood, and wonders what happened to his request for aid. Around the tangled mess, personal hygiene products begin to drift aimlessly out of the hole... along with a few unlucky workers... their silent screams of terror frozen forever...
"Sir! The Zeiko just collided with one of the Freighters!"
Areyis stood up from his seat. "Scan the Zeiko, beam up any survivors that you can find, if there are any, and move it away from the freighters with our tractor beam."
Areyis sat back down in his seat, a pondering look on his face.
Areyis nodded when he received the report. "I will write a formal report on what has happened here after I speak with Captain Webster, send out a long range scan, try to locate the Romulan ship. Inform Outpost Argo and Starfleet of what has happened and recommend that patrol ships reinforce the supply line."
"Very well. I will contact Commodore Ashworth. Now if you will excuse me, I need to find out what happened to my crew."
Captain Webster taps his combadge.
"Davis, contact the Mabel, have them take over SAR operations. The Vanguard will tow the William Decker and escort the K'Tang to Outpost Argo. Please inform the Commodore we have an incoming guest."
The Vanguard took the 'Decker under tow and began the journey back to Vanguard, while a lowly Ensign went over sensor readings, noticing another ship leaving the battle....
As the ensign studied the readings, they began to second-guess themselves. If the sensors were correct, whatever ship was leaving would be over 900 meters long, larger than even the Vanguard. To cloak something that large without being detected until now... that ship would have to be... no. Maybe the senors were wrong? If they weren't... should they really tempt fate by provoking the unknown ship? If it even was there? The ensign, young and inexperienced, debated the scenario. What choice would they make?
Captain Webster stepped onto his bridge, 30 minutes later. He looked around at his crew. He knew that they knew what was coming, but he felt the need to say it anyway.
"Report. Anything I should know?"
A young ensign at the back looked at the screen, sighed then stood.
"Yes Captain. I think we have a problem."
It was big. Whatever 'it' was. It first appeared on sensors when it left the battle zone and headed towards Klingon territory. Because sensors didn't register it's arrival, that meant that the ship was there the entire time. It was there the entire length of the battle, but took no action at any point. Who were they? Why were they here? Was it linked to the Klingon situation? The convoy? Just pure dumb luck? Or maybe... maybe it was intentional. There were many questions and no answers. Sensor logs couldn't determine anything more than movement through space and even that was sketchy. The cloaking technology they were using was top of the line, to prevent a detailed sensor scan. To remain undetected during an engagement like that. Only one faction ever demonstrated cloaking technology this advanced. That, coupled with a Mogai hinted strongly at Romulan involvement.
And yet... the Har'pheng was Klingon design. The video of the Mogai's command showed a Klingon in charge. The Romulans were being accepted, even now, into the Federation. Yet, how soon people forget that Romulans have sided with the Klingons as well. Could this indicate a first strike? A first attempt at a joint mission between Romulan and Klingons against the Federation? Perhaps the balance of power wasn't so tilted like many believed. Let alone the Tal'Shiar who opposed *any* Romulans joining either side but their own. These questions even now threaten to overshadow the Klingon Captain's arrival aboard the Vanguard. Did he have knowledge about this? Was this part of why he was there?
Lastly, there was the message that was transmitted by the Mogai. Did they have a spy aboard? What was this operation? Was it a lie? Was it the truth? With all the Romulans now at the Starbase... rumors would spread very quickly. Would it create a witch hunt? Even if it was a lie? But what if it was the truth? Once again, so many questions... and the possible answer to them all was silently heading back to Klingon territory at warp speed.
"I see. Hmm. Computer, security protocol Epsilon-1-Alpha. Lockdown the ship. Inform Outpost Argo to prepare security teams to sweep the Vanguard and interrogate the crew. Myself included."
The Computer beeped then followed its orders, all bulkheads were sealed, the turbolift door's and Jeffries tube's were sealed, and all transporters and shuttlebays were sealed.
The U.S.S. Vanguard, Galaxy Class, crew of over 1,200...had sealed tighter than a ferengi's wallet.
