—- USS Luna, Bridge —-

“Pr’Nor, are we ready?” Commander Olivia Carrillo asked the Luna’s Chief Flight Control Officer.

The Vulcan nodded, “Lieutenant Junior Grade Thomas Winfield has completed all the needed programming.”

Commander Carrillo nodded then gave the orders needed to set their plan into motion. “Drop out of warp, full stop and launch the shuttles.”

The star field on the main view screen stopped moving, as the ship came to a full stop. Then two batches of shuttles launched both batches traveling in a group and each group moving away in a different direction. They waited a moment, the at the tactical conn Chief Security Officer Lieutenant Jara said, “The Devore Imperium ships have split into three groups, two are tracking the shuttles.”

“How many are on course for the Luna?” asked Carrillo.

“Two ships,” Jara confirmed.

“How long until they get here?”

Jara answered, “Four hours.”

Tapping the controls on the central chair Carrillo opened a channel to the main engine room, “Mister Young you have four hours to do any maintenance you need, then we’ll need top speed again.”

The permanently concerned voice of Chief Engineer James Young came through, “I’ll make that happen.”

—- USS Luna, Main Shuttle Bay —-

Lieutenant Akane Sone watched as the last shuttle left the shuttle bay. It was only runabouts left now, and the bay seemed suddenly cavernous and empty. All the shuttle craft winked out of existence as they hit warp, leaving the Luna sitting motionless in the Delta Quadrant.

“How far will they make it?” she asked, having helped program the shuttles’ flight computers. She had set the courses but had not done the math as to how long before the Devore Imperium warships would overtake them.

James Winfield shrugged, wandering the suddenly mostly vacant shuttle bay, “With your charting and some luck they’ll make it.”

“I hope they make it,” Sone said.

“You could play football in here, all this room,” Winfield said.

“You could play football in the holodeck,” Sone said.

Winfield waved that suggestion away, “It’s not the same, this is real space. I grew up on a starbase, real space is valuable. Holographic tricks aren’t quite the same. Put two goals up, and there you go.”

“Well have a football game if we survive,” Sone said watching Winfield mime kick a goal.

“Maybe I will,” Winfield said.

“I’ve got to get back to the stellar cartography lab,” Sone said, “We’re in new space, we should be recording this.”

—- USS Luna, Main Engineering —-

Lieutenant Murf was up in the Jefferies Tube, shouting down at historian Lieutenant Jacob Siegel who she’d pulled into helping her because everyone else in the department was busy.

“Hand me the wrench,” Murf said shooting her hand out of the tube and reaching down the ladder.

Siegel eyed the pile of tools on the console and grabbed what he thought was a wrench. He was a historian and not an engineer though he’d written a paper on Eli Whitney who had invented a type of cotton gin in the United States in 1793. The entire engineering section was a buzz of activity as everyone attempted to get the engines in order before their next sprint at top speed.

“Got it in one,” Murf called out, “You’ll be Chief Engineer in no time.”

Siegel highly doubted that. He was not sure how he’d come to be friends or whatever they were, with Murf. The last mission seemed to have been the moment, but he knew very little about her. She was a Lanthanite so it was impossible to guess her age, though if she were a human he’d have guessed late twenties or early thirties. As a Lanthanite however she might be older than even Tashai the Chief Operations Officer who was older than Starfleet.

“Okay give me the thing that looks like a glass tube with a nozzle at the end,” Murf called, handing back the wrench.

Taking the wrench Siegel found the tool and handed it up. She’d been right to describe it, as he’d have had no idea what it was called.

A few moments later she handed it back, though inside the tube was now a black sludge that she’d extracted from something. A moment later she popped out of the Jefferies Tube and closed the hatch.

“Perfect thanks for your help,” Murf said, adding, “I’ve got to go recalibrate the warp core’s central processing unit.”

“So you’re done with me?” Siegel asked, wanting to retreat into his quiet and solitary lab.

“I could make up more excuses to see you,” Murf said, “Unless you actually thought that I didn’t have a way to carry tools up a ladder.”

Siegel looked and felt puzzled, “So what am I doing here?”

“I like your company, and you need to get out more,” Murf said. She patted Siegel on the shoulder, “Plus I have a crush on you.”

“I’m umm, I’m flattered but I’m actually,” Siegel started to explain.

“Gay yes, I know so that’s why I just have to hang out with you and not partake in…” Murf explained, “well other activities.”

“You’re an odd person,” Siegel said honestly.

Murf nodded, “Probably. All the best people are though, so that doesn’t bother me. Try as you might to be normal you’re odd to Mister Siegel.”
 

—-USS Luna, Bridge —-

“The Devore Imperium are hailing us,” Lieutenant Jara said at the tactical conn, “We’ll be in range of their transporters in two minutes.”

“Raise shields,” Commander Carrillo said, “and put them on screen.”

The Inspector appeared in his leather uniform, looking sour. He was clearly annoyed at the chase that the USS Luna had lead him on, he was a man used to having people bend to his authority.

“Let me guess Commander you’re okay with us boarding to inspect your ship now,” he said, “With the shuttles you released well away from your ship.”

Carrillo shook her head, “No, those were empty. Rigged to explode in about two minutes. I’d let any boarding teams you sent aboard know that so there’s no injuries. But, there’s a lot fewer of you here now.”

The Inspector cursed something that was not translated by the universal translator and cut the communication short clearly to warn his other ships. At the stellar cartography console Lieutenant Sone said, “Commander all shuttles have exploded as planned.”

“Alright, prepare to scrap,” Carrillo said, “Weapons hot, arm photon torpedoes. Aim for their propulsion systems.”

The USS Luna shook as the two remaining Devore Imperium vessels opened fire, their shots absorbed by the shield. Not having fired first Carrillo felt justified in giving the order.

“Pr’Nor, evasive pattern sigma alpha, Jara open fire,” Carrillo said sitting down and strapping herself into the captain’s chair in the center of the bridge. She opened a ship wide comm channel and announced, “We’re entering combat, brace for impacts.”

“Firing fore torpedos and phasers,” Jara said as her fingers danced across the LCARS controls and streaks of light shot out from the ship, hitting one then the next enemy ship. The Lunadove, while it was hard to imagine something so large being agile, it dipped below the two ships, firing behind it, torpedoes streaking out and hitting the impulse engines on the Imperium ships.

“Bring us around for another run,” Carrillo said, “We want to ensure they can’t follow us.”

“Target one’s engines are disabled,” Jara reported.

The ship shook again, and Carrillo was thankful for the restraints on the captain’s chair that kept her from rolling out onto the bridge. The other crew who were sitting down had all engaged them.

The Luna spun, pivoting and firing targeting the rear of the two ships. Most of their attacks were absorbed by shields, but a few torpedoes made it through impacting on the main vessel’s warp engines.

“Warp engines for both ships now offline,” Jara reported.

“Okay Pr’Nor, give me everything we have now,” Carrillo said, “Maximum warp.”

Both threat vessels vanished as the Luna leapt to warp, heading back the way they’d come, towards the underspace portal to the Triangle. Back to familiar space.

“Alright everyone, take a breath, we’ve bought ourselves a few hours,” Carrillo said, “I want status updates in twenty hours.”
 

—- USS Luna, Tranquility Base Lounge —-

Lieutenant Diya Acharya sat down next to Chief Engineer Lieutenant Commander James Young who looked tired. He was almost always constantly tired, given the fact that more than any other his department was constantly called upon to perform the miracles that helped the ship survive.

“You look exhausted,” Acharya said.

“I am exhausted,” Young said, “But I wanted to talk with you. About stuff…”

“Ohh, ominous,” Acharya teased.

“Look I’m good at engines, not people. You’re good with people, not engines,” Young said.

“This could go in any direction couldn’t it?” she teased some more.

Young shifted awkwardly, “My point being is that it takes me awhile to realize things, and even then I don’t know what I realize. Or something. What I’m trying to say is that visa vie your umm ultimatum, and our status I kind of want to…”

Rolling her eyes and his awkward verbosity Acharya leaned forward and kissed his lips, putting her hands on the side of his face as she deepened the kiss. Young seemed startled then relaxed into it, returning the kiss.

When it ended he seemed short of breath, “I had more planned to say.”

“I know, sometimes it’s not about giving a pretty speech, but showing that you mean what you’re saying,” the Chief Diplomatic Officer said, “So no speech, just show me what you want.”

Young nodded, “Okay, umm, finish your drink. Come to my quarters. I’ll show you.”

“Now that Lieutenant Commander is getting somewhere,” Acharya said, draining her glass and letting him lead her out of the lounge and down the hall to the Chief Engineering Officer’s quarters.