“Got eyes on them,” Crash said over the squad’s open channel, her voice professionally calm. “Looks like a…cripes…”

“Speak to me Crash,” Cat said over the channel at the pause.

All of the Night Witches were out in force, sweeping along a trojan asteroid field in search of elusive prey. Republic’s dash back to DS47 after receiving Atlantis’ distress call had been interrupted by a more urgent call – a nearby freighter reporting they were under pirate attack. While too late to stop the pirates, they’d been quick enough to make sure the freighter crew was in one piece, lend some spare parts and still catch the trail of the pirates in question.

Which lead the Republic here to this no-name star system and specifically this scrabble of rocks trailing the largest gas giant in the system. There was absolutely nothing of any value in this system, as confirmed by surveys going back years from both Starfleet and the Cardassian Union. Which made it perfect to hide in for a while since there was no one around to see folks coming and going.

“I’m looking at relics Cat. Looks like two Ju’Day-type couriers and a couple of Perrys I think but their engine signature is all over the show.”

“Come again Crash,” Knives asked, his deep voice resonating over the comms. “Peregrines and  Ju’Days?”

“Yeah, confirmed, Perrys. And yes, I know what I’m talking about here,” Crash shot back, her tone growing a touch annoyed.

Cat nodded; a pointless gesture with no one else around. She knew Crash’s background, how her symbiont’s previous host had served in the Dominion War and managed to walk away from flying those old deathtraps. “Course and speed?”

“Skulking along the belt at about a quarter impulse. One did pick up some speed when I spotted them but rejoined soon after. They know I’m here, but they aren’t running just yet.” Crash’s assessment was a little concerning. Pirates who weren’t afraid tended to be smarter and smarter meant they likely knew how to fight if they had to.

“Flop, Blunt, join up with Crash and help her guide our new friends along. Red, Knives, keep on your courses and be ready for them to try and break. And keep your EW suites on full.” She’d assigned those two the A/R models in a recent reassignment and so far they’d both proven themselves to be absolutely suited to the stealthier craft.

A series of ‘aye ma’am’ followed as they fell into pursuit, Red and Knives on the flank, the other three swirling around behind their prey, letting themselves be seen while she was hanging back just that bit further, hopefully, shielded from their sensors as she slinked from one rock to another, keeping her people in sight and relying on their shared sensors to keep an eye on them.

It took a moment for her fighter’s onboard computer to compare the engine signatures with what the freighter Blue Rascal had been able to pass along to them. It wasn’t confirmed, but an eighty per cent probability match was good enough for her. One of the fighters escorting the Ju’Days was even still broadcasting an IFF close enough for her computers to flag it as ‘possible friendly’ from time to time. A quick manual update then sent to the other fighters, resolved that particular problem.

“Righto folks, it’s looking like these folks are our pirates. Standard rules of engagement.” Cat tapped at her controls with practised ease, bringing targeting sensors online, clearing the safeties on her phasers and checking her torpedoes were still locked down. “Priority is disabling those fighters and corralling the couriers along to let Reppie deal with them.”

She heard the acknowledgements but didn’t really register them as she drove her fighter forward, bringing the engines to full life as she cleared the asteroid she was hiding behind, buzzing past her lead elements and diving on the trailing fighter with such rapidity that they had barely started to react to the appearance of a fourth fighter moving to attack. Her phasers lashed out, licking at shields in a series of staccato pulses before she whizzed right through the formation of ships. A barrel roll for show and she was pulling around an asteroid as returning fire came her way, but she had done what she had wanted to do – gain their attention.

This meant when Flop, Blunt and Crash came in on her heels the pirates were distracted. They had gone from looking around to focusing on the first threat, ignoring the ones that had been tailing them. Soon enough the fighter she hadn’t fired on was outnumbered as three modern fighters descended on it while Cat’s prey had tried to follow her.

The two couriers had opted for the better part of valour, their engines going to full impulse as they sped off, leaving their escorts to cover their retreat. Or as what was going to happen – valiantly sacrifice themselves to let the couriers flee.

“This guy is slippery,” Flop said with some strain over comms. “Blunt, open the range and swing back in. Crash, give me some room.”

“Roger,” came both Blunt and Crash. No ego, no glory hounds amongst the Witches. Cat had made that clear when she had been allowed to put the squadron together.

The hypocrisy of charging in and engaging an enemy force by herself wasn’t missed though. She’d bear the ribbing from her fellows later. Right now though she was flying like her life depended on it as the older Peregrine fighter fell in behind her, its own weapons fire splashing on asteroids or going wide as it chased after her.

She cut close enough to an asteroid that if she had opened her canopy she could have reached up and touched it, proximity sensors screaming at her as she bent her fighter’s superior agility to its maximum. But instead of cutting in a straight line shortly after she kept the turn going, pulling up from her perspective, tighter and tighter to the point the dampners started blaring warnings to her as well.

But the manoeuvre ultimately played off as she eventually came around behind the fighter that had been chasing her. They’d figured something was up and opted not to chase but to break for open space, to flee from her Valkyrie and break for a chance to go to warp. She fell in, engines at full as she leapt to the chase.

And then swerved on instinct as a series of phaser flashes lit up the rear of the fighter, smashing through its shields and obliterating one of its warp nacelles and an impulse engine with ease.

“I got this one,” Red said over comms as the Andorian dropped on the Peregrine, grabbing it with a tractor beam and pulling it away from an asteroid as lights flickered and died on the stricken fighter.

“Thanks, Red,” Cat said, turning to head back and rejoin the furball behind her.

A flash of light within the asteroid fields however demanded her attention. “Torps!” Blunt shouted over comms. They’d been interested in capturing pirates, not killing them, but if one was willing to fire what could only be deadly weapons, then they would have no choice.

“Weapons free,” she said as she kept hurtling through the field back to her people. They now had her permission to, and she’d wear it if she had to, take that fighter out by any means necessary.

She saw through a gap between two large rocks the Peregrine go hurtling past, flashes of phaser fire chasing after it and then the flickering speedy ball of orange light fired by one of her people. She was shielded from the almighty flash that followed as the torpedo eviscerated the piratical fighter, clearing it from her skies for good.

“Nice shot Crash,” Flop said.

“Yeah, thanks,” Crash answered, actually sounding down as she accepted the compliment. They were Starfleet officers, they took prisoners when they could.

“Eyes on those couriers?” Cat asked as she joined her people.

Knives cut in, calm as can be, having stayed out of the fighting, obviously still watching. “Sending coordinates now folks. They’re just about free of the asteroid field but I’m catching scatter from scans of asteroids they’re making as they go.”

“Looking for somewhere to hide,” Blunt concluded in typical Vulcan fashion.

There was no further chatter as the free elements of the Night Witches fell into formation with each other, speeding along the asteroid field with no intention of stealth. There was just the need to catch up with their prey, to force them to stop looking for a place to hide and keep running. Running right where they wanted them to.

It took barely a couple of minutes to catch up, for the Ju’Days to spot them and surge forward once more, making a break for open space. One of them fired back at the Witches, an errant beam that was either very poorly aimed or meant to scare them off instead. But the Witches continued unfazed.

And then lumbering from behind one of the largest asteroids in the field right at the end of the trojan belt came the magnificent lines and curves of the USS Republic, her running lights fully lit and setting her apart from anything else within lightyears. She moved slowly but gracefully as she slid out from cover, blocking the immediate way forward for the two couriers.

“Unknown ships this is the Federation Starship Republic. You are ordered to heave to and prepare to be boarded on suspicion of piracy. Acknowledge.” The voice coming across the comms wasn’t the captain’s, or even the XO’s, but Jenu Trid, their operations officer. Cat smiled as Trid’s tone sounded strong and confident – the little voice of Republic. The friendly voice compared to if it had been the captain or XO making the demand.

“Negative Starfleet, you have no authority here,” came a response from one of the couriers. “Now fuck off.”

“Repeat, heave to and prepare to be boarded,” Trid said after a moment. Just long enough for someone on Republic to decide to give these idiots a second chance.

There was no response from the pirates as they leapt to full impulse, charging directly towards Republic. They closed, both sides waiting, before the two courier ships started firing on the larger ship. Republic’s shields weathered the volley of phaser fire, flaring in blue-green arcs as orange beams slammed into them. The first attack run done, one of the couriers sped away while the other arced back.

“All craft, stand clear,” Trid’s voice commanded over comms. The Witches didn’t need to be told twice as Republic started to turn towards the courier that was buying time for the other to retreat.

As the Ju’Day-type courier poured more fire into Republic’s shields, the near-new Constitution III-class ship barked in anger exactly once. A single lance of phaser fire arced out from one of the dorsal arrays and sliced through the attacking ship’s shields with ease, carving through a warp nacelle and slicing an entire wing off in a manner that to Cat came off as contemptuous ease.

Lieutenant Selu Levne was just showing off with that display.

A flash of blue in the distance signalled the departure of the other courier, jumping to warp speed and fleeing the scene. The now stuck-here courier, still able to move and fight, came to a halt with plasma streaming from its crippled engine. “Alright Starfleet,” the pilot of that ship finally said over the open comms, “you win. We’re shutting her down.”

A click over comms, an indicator that someone had joined their channel, then came the captain’s voice as clear as crystal. “Nice work Witches. Shuttle bay 1 is open and awaiting your triumphant return.”