Like an arrow arching to its target, the Phoenix fell upon the Romulan ship. One moment they’d dropped from warp; the next they tumbled through the gas giant’s upper atmosphere, weapons blazing to rain down on their foe.
‘The Andorian ship’s warp drive is offline,’ called West, voice ringing across the bridge over the low hum of activity.
‘Tak, tell them to get their asses behind us.’ Lopez didn’t sound worried, pointing finger turning from Communications to Tactical. ‘Helena, how’re our guests?’
Black’s smile was tight, but satisfied. ‘They weren’t ready for us. That’s a direct hit to their aft torpedo launcher; it’s out of action.’
‘Guess they gotta face us head-on, or run real fast. Stay on their tail, Antar. We can chew ‘em up all we like from there.’
‘Thanks for explaining, boss; thought I’d take us for a ride through their firing arc,’ Ensign Antar said with her usual sullen wryness. On the viewscreen, the exosphere swirled gold and bronze clouds before them as she brought the Phoenix around to focus on the distant dot of the Romulan ship.
‘I’m a tactical genius like that,’ said Lopez, matching her without missing a beat. ‘I don’t want these assholes getting away.’
West looked across the bridge to Black. ‘Sending you targeting telemetry, Commander; if you hit their manoeuvring thrusters, they’ll have a hell of a time getting through the atmosphere.’
Lopez gave a low chuckle of satisfaction as she watched the Phoenix’s weapons fire rake across the Romulan heavy scout. ‘Sorry, Rommies. There are no more back doors into human territory. We’re changing all the locks.’
‘Direct hit,’ Black reported with audible satisfaction. ‘They’re trying to exit the gravity well, but they’re not moving fast.’
‘Stay on them,’ said Lopez. ‘It’d be a real shame if the Romulans sent another raider into our turf and they vanished without a trace.’
‘Again,’ Black said.
‘Commander,’ West said to Black, ‘if you detonate a torpedo twenty metres above their dorsal hull, the shockwave in this atmosphere should push them further into the gas giant.’
Takahashi glanced up from Comms. ‘Are we rationing our torpedoes now, and trying to use the laws of physics to help us rack up kills?’
‘We’re not made of resources,’ Lopez mused, and nodded at Black. ‘Do it.’
A moment later, West gave a low hiss of satisfaction. ‘Good shooting; they’re sluggish in the air now.’
‘I know,’ Black said with simple confidence. ‘I’ve got them.’
Lopez clenched a fist with jubilation as the the shots from the Phoenix soared out, and seconds later the viewscreen lit up with the explosions raking the Romulan ship. It split in two, both chunks falling deeper into the gravity well of the gas giant, and soon enough disappeared from sight. ‘They look toasted.’
‘Like a bagel,’ Black agreed.
‘Their systems are dead, I’m losing them on sensors – they’re done,’ West confirmed.
Lopez looked around from the command chair. ‘Good job, everyone. They screwed around again, and they paid the price.’
But amid the ripple of satisfaction washing through the bridge, Takahashi pressed a finger to his earpiece and raised his voice. ‘Before we pat ourselves on the back too hard, the Andorian ship’s asking for assistance so they don’t drift and get crushed, too.’
‘Bring us about, Antar,’ called Lopez, like this was another day at the office. ‘Helena, ready the grappling hook.’
They had not gone far from the ship whose distress call had summoned them to this uninhabited gas giant at the edges of what had become, over the last few months, the Vega theatre. Starfleet’s foothold on the region had only solidified, Earth’s forces establishing a perimeter guard and driving the Romulans out of a sector they had previously breached with impunity. Now even a passing Andorian ship could call for help and have the Phoenix, the most powerful ship in the area, respond in time.
It was simple work to latch on to the ship, stop it from sinking deeper into the gas giant, and bring it out of the gravity well as Phoenix slid back to the heart of the system. Commander West’s study of the sensors showed no sign of further Romulan forces, either lying in wait or coming as reinforcements, and so with a sigh Lopez gave the order to end tactical alert.
‘This Andorian captain’s grateful for our assistance,’ Takahashi reported, with an amused edge suggesting he was being diplomatic about an Andorian’s comportment. ‘But his ship’s taken some damage and he’s going to need repairs or a ride out of here.’
‘We can be good Samaritans,’ said Lopez. ‘Bring us in to dock, have Hawthorne send some people over. Does he need medical attention?’ Takahashi shrugged. ‘It can’t hurt. Notify the doc and invite him for a checkup.’
Black made a low noise of curiosity as Takahashi did as bidden, but shook her head as Lopez looked at her. ‘No – it’s nothing much. His ship’s quite well-armed, a decent little scout, but it’s not Andorian military and obviously wasn’t much of a match for the Romulans. I thought this was a freighter originally, but it’s much too small; a one-man crew sort of deal.’
‘Did we rescue a pirate?’ Lopez couldn’t help but sound delighted at such a novel prospect. ‘I’m going to have to go to Sickbay to see this guy for myself, aren’t I.’
Black raised an eyebrow. ‘If you think we should, Captain.’
Lopez hopped to her feet, chuckling. ‘Subtle, Helena. We’ve just rescued him, he’s one Andorian, and he’s about to be sitting in the middle of the ship. If I need a bodyguard for this meeting, something’s gone horribly wrong.’
‘Indulge me.’
She rolled her eyes good-naturedly. ‘Alright. Let’s see what this guy’s about. You have the bridge, Commander West; make sure the coast is clear and see what Hawthorne has to say about the ship. We’ll head back to Vega once we know if this is catch-and-release or if we’re giving him a ride.’
Black followed her into the lift, but waited until the doors slid shut before she gave a gentle snort of amusement. ‘You’re in a good mood.’
‘We won a fight. Another one. Handily,’ Lopez pointed out as the lift hummed to life.
‘We keep doing that. I thought you’d be used to it by now.’
‘I love winning. I love winning even more when people expect me to lose.’ She shrugged. ‘Starfleet counted us out from the beginning and sent us to Vega because it was a backwater they didn’t want to waste their best on. Instead we’ve found the Romulans trying to flank us and thwarted them at every turn. Since we got here, they’ve tried smacking civilians, smacking us through allies, smacking us with as big a fighting force as they could spare on this border. It’s been six months since we got here, and all they’ve learnt is how to waste a lot of resources.’
Black chuckled, shaking her head. ‘Good to see you’re not letting it go to your head.’
‘Arrogance is when you think better of yourself than you should. We should be pleased with ourselves. And sure, if it upsets starched shirts on Earth, so much the better.’ The doors slid open, and Lopez gave a cocky smile. ‘Let’s see who we rescued.’
They found a wiry Andorian sat on a bed when they arrived in Sickbay, grumbling as Doctor Kayode tended to a bloody gash oozing dark blue across a brow. His keen eyes lit up as the two women entered, and a hand gently but firmly pushed Kayode to one side. ‘You’re the captain? Your doctor’s acting like a bump to the head will kill me.’
‘I am not,’ Kayode said with a faint squeak of indignation. ‘But I should check out head wounds. And you’re here, and you’re a guest -’
‘If the man wants to be stoic about it, let him,’ said Lopez with amusement, and looked the Andorian up and down. ‘I’m Captain Lopez of the Phoenix NX-08, Earth Starfleet.’
‘Tharan. Captain of my own business, and a lot of luck for you showing up when you did.’ Tharan got to his feet and, after a moment’s hesitation, stuck out a hand like he’d remembered this was how he talked to humans. He wore a well-fitting jumpsuit with thick protective panelling across the chest and his right arm, but there was no insignia or particular colour scheme. ‘Thanks for your timing.’
‘I pride myself on being where I need to be, when I need to be.’ Lopez shook the hand and tried to not wince at the grip. ‘I’ve got engineers looking at your ship now. If it’s a complete mess, we’re happy to give you a ride back to Vega and offer you a better repair job there.’
‘Appreciate that,’ Tharan said. ‘The Romulans are getting bold. I’d thought you’d pushed them out of the sector by now.’
‘We’re working on it.’ She cocked her head. ‘What brings you to the edge of UEC space, anyway?’
He lifted his hands defensively. ‘I’m not shoving my antennae in your borders, Starfleet, easy. I’m a ship for hire; I go where I’m paid.’ He hesitated. ‘My government sent me to take a look at Romulan activity and report back. You know, without any military markings on my ship the empire might take as Andorian forces getting officially involved again.’
‘You could have asked,’ Black mused.
‘I could,’ Tharan agreed. ‘But for now I was just looking. Then that Romulan ship got the drop on me. It had been plain sailing until then. And if I asked you for help, you’d have wanted something in return.’
Lopez raised an eyebrow. ‘Maybe. Considering Starfleet’s successful border defence over these few months has provided a handy buffer for Andoria, we might have assumed you’d be in the business of being grateful.’
‘We’re not ungrateful.’ He hesitated, then scratched his temple. ‘You’ve saved my neck, Captain, no question. My ship took a hammering and I’d appreciate that lift back to Vega.’
She cocked her head. ‘You’re talking like you’re about to make it worth my while.’
‘Like I said, I’ve been sticking my antennae in these parts for a bit. My ship is light and fast and good at avoiding notice; Romulans seem to be looking most for engine emissions that match Earth design and I’ve been overlooked a few times. And it’s been getting easier as you’ve pushed them back, and back, and back.’ Tharan straightened, and his light eyes met Lopez’s gaze. There was a beat as he considered, then he gave a white, shining, hunter’s smile. ‘Do you want to finish them off in this sector for good?’