USS Edinburgh – The Castle – 0900

“Shields at 80%”, announced Prentice as he pirouetted the Edinburg up and away from torpedoes from The Praetor.  Disrupter fire sprayed across the ship’s underbelly, sending shudders through the lower decks.  “Shields at 75% – she’s found a target in the shield harmonics.”  The Clawed Death and Sharpened Cutlass were doing their own dance against their newfound enemy.  It had become clear that Rexin was battle-tested.  The others were having their own troubles.

“Both ships have taken damage – their shields hold at 80% but he’s using his knowledge of their ship’s weaknesses against them.”  Kondo fired a barrage of torpedoes at The Praetor and reported, “We’ve knocked out one disrupter…her shields are at 60%.  Mr. Prentice, if you will.”  He transmitted a course suggestion and the helm officer nodded as he put it into practice.  The ship shuddered as the maneuver turned them into three incoming torpedoes and the bridge shook as they pounded on the saucer section, sparks flying from the lights as the power systems were pushed.

Prentice waited until Kondo had completed his phaser fire and then threw the ship into an evasive maneuver as he reported, “Shields at 70% – and holding.”

Harris gripped the arms of his chair, “Focus on his thrusters, Mr. Kondo – let’s take his movement.  Let’s get more…”  The sound of Romulan disrupters echoed as it impacted the shields and caused some consoles to flicker.  “Shields at 60%.  Let’s get more aggressive.”

The tactical chief retasked the targeting computers and let a smile reach his lips, “Shifting attack plan.”  The Edinburgh seemed to take a deep breath before she banked into a turn towards The Praetor, firing a barrage of phaser fire and torpedoes straight into the warp engines and impulse engines of the Warbird.  The Warbird let loose with its one working disrupter blaster and a bevy of torpedoes. 

The helm officer grimaced, “Oh damn…”, and did what he could but they were too close.  The combined close weapons fire from the Romulan ship slammed into the bridge and the floor dropped out from under them as the rest of the ship shuddered under the load.  The Tower consoles exploded in a hail of sparks, fire, and debris while the bridge lights summarily exploded, sending the crew into darkness.

Harris called out, “Emergency lights.  Sickbay to the bridge.”  The minimal lights kicked on as consoles remained powered.  He stood carefully, “Prentice, you with us?”

A cough as he raised his hand in the smokey darkness, “Shields are at 40% – they hit us pretty hard.  Looks like we disabled them pretty good though.  They ain’t moving.”  The doors to the bridge opened and Reid stepped through with a cadre of orderlies and nurses moving quickly to those that were on the ground or just getting up.  A second later Chief Katsumi bounded through the door with her own damage control team.

Harris stared at the screen.  They’d disabled Rexin and his ship…but at what cost.  He coughed as the smoke continued to fill the bridge, “Mr. Prentice, damage report?”

“Bridge, well you can see that.  We’ve got some corridor damage and fires that are currently being controlled and managed.  Transporters are offline for the moment along with the deflector.  Our phaser arrays were overloaded with that last attack.  Exhaust fans are offline…”

The Chief Engineer interrupted him, “Don’t say it!”  She had pulled out a chipset from the wall and was scanning, “I’ve almost got it…”, she accepted a tossed isolinear chip from a fellow engineer and clicked it into place.  Seconds later the fans kicked on and the bridge began to clear.  She turned to Prentice, “Exhaust fans are online.”  She smiled big and bounded off to the next thing that needed her expertise on the bridge.

Prentice chuckled, “I’ll have more as I get it, Commander.”

Thasaz spoke from her station as a nurse cleaned the blood from her head, “The Praetor is disabled. Clawed Death and Sharpened Cutlass report they are in progress with boarding her.  They are working to identify where our crewmen might be.”  She paused as the nurse ran a dermal regenerator over her skin.  Once done she continued, “They have asked us what we want to do with Rexin once they find him.”

Harris accepted a nurse scanning him as he moved to sit in the command chair, “It seems we could be in the business of collecting Romulan bad guys.  Do they want him?”  The nurse cleaned up the scratch and ran the regenerator over the wound before she moved on.

“They are indifferent.  With Rexin’s defeat, they’re calling their allegiance no longer valid.  They’re going to find a warmer port.”

The CO stood carefully, “Coordinate with Kondo and get him secured.  He doesn’t get to see or know that Saho exists.”  He glanced around the bridge.  The lights were slowly being replaced as the debris and wrecked consoles were getting swept up.  “Lieutenant Thasaz, you have the CONN.  I’m headed to sickbay.”  He entered the tubolift.  The doors closed but he didn’t select a deck.  He simply stood, leaning against the wall.

Deck, please?

He wondered what the Harris of the early days of the Erigone would be feeling now if their places were changed.  Would the doubting Commander have survived this encounter?

Deck, please?

The short months from Erigone to Edinburgh had changed him.  He’d come to understand death as a reality.  That the no-win scenario was ever-present with each mission they took and course they set.

Deck, please?

He sighed inwardly.  Command was a heavy thing…a complicated thing…and it was a life and death thing.

Deck, please?

He could only hope there was more life than death in the future of the USS Edinburgh.

Deck, please?

Harris growled, “Sickbay, you inpatient computer.”  The turbolift went into motion and the CO grumbled, “Sorry, computer.”

The computer beeped as if accepting his apology.