“Come about, heading 0-9-0 mark 3-4. Kosh, do we have a clear shot against that satellite?” Atil’ika felt the ship groan as the officer at the helm translated her instructions into action, the old bones of Ascension quietly protesting the sudden tight turn.

“I know, I know,” she whispered maternally as she rubbed the nearby oaken bannister with an outstretched palm. “Just keep it together, old girl.”

The rumbling of the deck subsided minutely, diminishing to a low hum of hard-working dampeners. Ascension had weathered worse than a few frustrating flies, no matter how persistent they may be.

“I am having trouble getting a bearing; the satellite keeps moving erratically,” Kosh seethed between gritted teeth. “And two of the freighters keep interrupting our firing solution; they are surprisingly nimble.”

“Only two?”

“The third vessel is circling at a distance.”

“Stalking the edge of the ring, I presume.” Atil’ika imagined the four ships in some championship boxing match, the two smaller craft dancing nimbly around the heavyweight, dropping stinging hits like a flurry of bees. All the while, the fourth prowled around the perimeter, waiting for its moment to strike. “Don’t lose sight of it, that’s the one that’s going to go for the kill.”

The light flickered momentarily as a series of rumbles echoed from somewhere far off, green disrupter fire chasing across the ship’s vast shield array.

“We might not have to wait for the third one, incoming fire has increased, and shields are down to fifty-three percent.” Irenko confirmed from the operations station, her jaw cutting sharply with tension. “They keep striking at the field overlaps; the array is struggling to compensate.”

“Can we keep one face turned to them, preferably the strongest?”

“They are too fast for us, especially this close. It’s everything I can do to stop them slipping under the shield bubble,” The Tellarite woman at the helm replied, a visible sweat forming on her brow.

A twitching of the lights chased across the bridge once again, followed moments later by a weary groan as the helm swung the ship about once more. Atil’ika thumped her thigh in frustration, sending an expected shock of pain down her leg with a wince just as the forward turbolift doors pulled aside to reveal the scowling face of Shrubi.

“The Captain is escorting the divine to her quarters,” she announced as she strode to her seat in the centre cluster. “Any demands?”

“Nothing, and no instructions or threats,” Atil’ika muttered quietly to the Ferengi officer. “But a waiting interdiction satellite suggests that it’s all premeditated.”

“We have the firepower to take them out,” Shrubi replied in hushed tones.

“If we could land a hit, they’re moving faster than Kosh’s targeting algorithm.” the other woman replied, her frustration palpable.

“Those are some serious improvements to the engines, then.” Shrubi tapped her pronounced forehead thoughtfully with a finger. “That takes some effort with those old ships. Throw in a satellite that spews out gravimetric fields, and it’s starting to look more like a hit and run.”

“You think they’re after something aboard the ship?”

“Tie us down and peck at us till the shields drop; it’s one tactic to get aboard.”

“The Divine?”

“Seems logical, we should warn-”

“-Torpedoes incoming!” Kosh shouted across the room a moment too late.

Within milliseconds, a thunder of explosions rocked the bridge as a series of warheads exploded against the shields, enveloping Ascencion’s starboard side in a grotesque twist of grappling energy. Blossoms of green and white clawed viciously towards the ship’s skin as a brilliant flare of blue energy pressed back, curving inward desperately against the sudden overwhelming force. The shields roared in the silence of space as the last energetic bonds gave way and the white hot energy of the torpedoes crashed against the outer hull.

“Shields are down, hull breach on deck four, starboard,” Irenko announced.

“That’s it, time to go,” Atil’ika muttered as she lifted herself back into the chair. “Helm brings us round for a straight run at the satellite. Kosh, clear the way through, blast straight through those shits if you have to. Irenko, transmit a general distress call.”

“Commander, the third vessel, it’s moving.” Irenko pointed up to the corner of the viewscreen where a small tactical map had hovered unobtrusively throughout the engagement. At its edge, a slender red dart had turned from its slow, ominous patrol at the edge of the map and begun to fly straight toward Ascension. 

“Coming to course 2-7-2, mark 6-2.” The officer at the helm announced as she lined up for a direct run against the satellite.

On the small tactical map, the red darts swung around in a flurry as the vessels realigned themselves. In a moment of surreal clarity, the third bolt settled directly to starboard, and the ploy became clear. They knew that if they just pecked enough, Ascension would be forced to make an aggressive strike against the satellite that was interfering with their ability to go to warp. In the process, her exposed starboard side would be presented to the waiting wolf to leap on, and targeting sensors are much more accurate when there is a large wound to peek through.

“The hull breach,” Shubri whispered in panic, dark blood running across her lips from where her nose had made contact with the sweeping wooden enclosure that had moments earlier felt like a pair of sheltering arms..

“Helm, full axis rotation to port, get us in a roll!” Atil’ika cried as she too realised the ploy. Don’t let them see the gap, don’t give them a window.

The old deck felt like it might twist along the seams, and Atil’ika swore she could hear the warble of straining timber as the wizened bones of Ascension were thrown over themselves. A sudden weight pulled in the assembled stomachs as the wounded ship attempted to counteract the forces of momentum, a melee of kinetic forces pressing against one another.

“They are adjusting to compensate,” Irenko announced, her attention fixed on the sensor readings as she splayed her arms to brace herself against the corners of the console to keep her small frame in place.

“Keep rolling!” Atil’ika instructed. “Get the shields back!”

“Detecting transporter signals,” a voice from the rear of the bridge announced, sounding almost like Kosh but tinged with uncharacteristic concern. “Intruder alert.”

A piercing siren cut across the room, setting Atil’ika’s nerves on edge with its shrill squawking tone. The walls had been breached, the heavyweight was wounded, and now the enemy was under her skin.

“Location?”

“Deck Four, VIP quarters.”