The USS Grus charged into battle, right on the flank of her sister ship; matching its speed and course precisely.  They moved as one; a testament to the skills of both those at the helm.

Lieutenant Stuart was in her element; this is what she loved about being at the controls of a starship, and the Grus was way more responsive than the Jaxartes had ever been; not that she could grumble at the maneuvers she’d pulled off in the old Raven-class corvette.  Next to her Ensign Tholakath waited, the Cardassian’s fingers hovering above the fire control system at his tactical station; ready for the moment they came into range of a target.

The three Vaadwaur fighters, may have been confused by the disappearance of the Battlecruiser they were protecting, but that didn’t stop them from turning to engage the two Saber-Class vessels heading their way. The two opposing forces meet and unleased everything they had.  Phaser fire, Polaron beams and torpedoes all crossed; all found their mark.

The USS Grus and da Vinci both shook as they took numerous hits, but in return one of the fighters was ripped apart having been on the receiving end of everything the two scout ships could throw at it.

“Good shooting mister Tholakath.” Commander Vought called out.  “Same again if you please.”

Lieutenant Stuart banked and swung them around, twisting like a theme park rollercoaster ride.  She didn’t know much about Isaacs, the guy piloting the ship in front; but like her, he seemed to know how to get the best out of the ship.

“Shields are at 83%.”  C’Rren informed them from the back of the Bridge as the ship came in for a second attack run.

The second engagement went much the same way as the first, as each of the ships weapons found their targets. As the gap between them widened once more; one Vaadwaur fighter remained in the battle, the other spinning and tumbling wildly; a trail of debris in its wake.

“One more to go.” Commander Vought was pleased with how things were going in only his second ever enemy engagement.  Those sat around him on the Bridge and several other members of the ship’s crew, had seen more combat than that, in the last year.  He was a novice compared to them; he just hoped it didn’t show.  “Keep your eyes sharp.”

“Our shields are at 65%.” The Caitian sounded relieved that the shielding was holding up so well.

This time things played out differently; somehow the fighter had managed to make a much sharper turn; its pilot must have put the engines and hull under enormous pressure and stress to have performed the maneuver.  The Vaadwaur vessel came rocketing in, between the two Sabers; this looked like it was a suicide run; the pilot attempting to destroy or cripple the USS Grus by sacrificing himself.

Lieutenant Stuart focused as collision alarms blared and everyone braced for the inevitable impact; she heard a voice in the back of her mind; that of Doctor Andrianakis’s Q father.  ‘Fifteen degree’s port roll, twenty degree’s down angle.’  He word he’d said to her after his warning.  She executed the roll with barely seconds to spare; the shields of the two craft slamming into each other with tremendous force.  Everything shook, but catastrophe had been avoided by the finest of margins.

As the fighter continued on past, it broke apart; no explosions, just the slow spread of hull plating and internal components, as its structural integrity failed completely.  It was clear that the stress of the tight turn and hitting the shields of the Grus, proving too much for the ship to handle.

Everyone let out the breath they’d been holding.  “Oh my, that was close.” The Orion muttered, as she leveled the vessel out on a straight course and regained her composure.   Lyanna felt a reassuring hand grip her right shoulder lightly.

“Commander Salan and Lieutenant Devron have both told me how good a pilot you are.” Commander told her, sincerely.  “But that was blood brilliant.”

She smiled at the complement and turned the ship towards its final target. Her hands seemed steady at the controls, but inside she was shacking.

As they approached the Battlecruiser, the full implications of the time dilatation hit home.  Despite being invisible; the da Vinci had been able to target the Vaadwaur vessel, based on where they’d last seen it and scan to confirm there were no humans aboard being held prisoner.  Now four Quantum torpedoes sat motionless in space, caught by the very forces that had slowed time aboard the Astika-class ship.

Ensign Tholakath fired four Quantum torpedoes as rapidly as the Saber’s systems would allow.  At first they raced ahead, yet as they also reached the enemy vessel; all came to a stop.   Finally from another angle of attack the Orion Raider added another two of the deadly torpedoes into the mix.

**********

Navaar Orci sat on the Bridge of Dagger One; clearly amused by the spectacle before her.  The Orion watched as ten torpedoes traveling at one thousandth of their normal speed; and all pointing towards an empty area of space.  She’d already instructed her Chief Engineer to remotely deactivate the cloaking device.  But in the same way the torpedoes were trapped in time, so was the signal.

When time finally started flowing at the same rate as everything around it, things were already too late for the crew of the Battlecruiser to react.  Less than a second passed before ten Quantum torpedoes simultaneously struck.  Shields collapsed and hull plating buckled.

The Vaadwaur warship was badly damaged, but not yet finished.  It sluggishly turned to engage its attackers; ignoring messages to surrender.  More torpedoes found their mark, adding to the carnage.  One engine remained defiantly operational, just enough to keep the Astika turning away from the planet.  But it was the last act of a dead ship.

**********

There was a moment of silence on the Bridge of the USS Grus, as they all watched the enemy vessel.  They still hadn’t got used to killing people, they hoped in a way they never would.

“I’m picked up multiple transporter signals.” The Cardassian Tactical Office broke the silence.

“Where?” Vought asked back.

“The Orion Raider is locking on to various objects aboard the Vaadwaur ship.” Tholakath answered.  “Unable to confirm what being removing.”

Before a challenge could be issued by either of the Federation vessel; Dagger One jumped to warp.

“You know I’m beginning to really hate that woman.” Vought muttered.

“She certainly knows how to take advantage of a situation.” Devron replied.

“She used a faulty Romulan cloaking device and Starfleet issue Quantum Torpedoes.” Tholakath pointed out.

“And now she has her hands on unknown Supremacy tech, too!” Devron added.

“I can’t make up my mind as to how much of this she had planned out.” Their Captain was clearly annoyed; feeling it was partly his fault the Orion had been given this opportunity in the first place.  “Ensigns Cho and C’Rren; lease with the da Vinci and set up a search pattern of the planet.  We need to know the condition of the inhabitants and any possible Vaadwaur ground forces.”

Twenty minutes later as the two scout ships mapped out the destruction down on Samson III; the Astika-class Heavy Battlecruiser finally met its end; as the ship exploded into a hundred or more pieces.