Accusatory shards of machined duranium extended, grasping towards the Steamrunner-class starship they dwarfed. Like gnarled fingers, the Breen probosces appeared on the cusp of flicking the tiny vessel away like a giant would an irritating gnat. The Altai matched pace with the lumbering hulk, maneuvering nimbly about to face its port hangar bay doors. Stray asteroids crunched against the dreadnought’s sides, large enough to force minor course corrections from the starfleet vessel now deep within the obfuscated pitch of its shadow.

Greenish hull plating filled the entirety of the bridge’s main viewer. The turbolift doors opened, and Streth followed Jones towards the centre seats, “Lieutenant, prepare a firing solution to breach the hangar doors. Fire when ready.”

Jones stood there from the tactical station, phasers charged, torpedo launchers powered up, and both ready to fire. “Aye, Captain.” He acknowledged Streth as he began to adjust the settings on a photon torpedo. He set the yield to one that he remembered from experience in blasting a hole in a hangar door. “Torpedo armed and ready. Firing.” With one press of the button, a photon torpedo propelled out of one of the forward launchers, soared through space between the Altai and the Breen warship before it completed the distance and impacted into the door. The explosion from the torpedo made a hole big enough for a craft to get in. “Firing sequence complete. We have our opening.” 

“Very good,” Streth acknowledged, “Keep monitoring that hangar for any spider activity.”

Jackson continued to match the Breen ship’s movements. When asteroids threatened the Altai, he was able to gently move the ship a few feet, letting the asteroid continue on its path.

==USS Altai, Transporter Room One==

Mumbling to herself as Katsu entered the transport room, she tapped wildly onto the PADD and moved to the EV locker, leaning against it. “If I narrow the signal frequency of the spider, though, I need to adjust the tricorder to avoid any diffraction that might cause interference on the line. Calculating the motion of the velocity from the high pitch channel,” Taps again as her tricorder starts beeping. “And downloading program…” Katsu opens the locker to get her EV suit on. 

Joran walked into the transporter room and saw Astrid staffing there. He smiled and walked over to her and held out a hand. “I just wanted to say thanks for getting me it if there last time and I’m sorry about the loss of your team members.”

Astrid accepted the outstretched hand and shook it. She was in a standard duty uniform perfectly pressed and tailored.   Her boots were polished to a neat mirror-like shine,  and every strand of brunette hair was in place, held together in a tight bun. “ Good to see you up and about Chief. Doc Roe was worried about you. Thank you for your concern.   Never easy to lose someone,  but it does come with the territory.”

Joran nodded to Astrid, “Yeah, I’ve been there, it’s never easy.” He said before shrugging. Turning to D’viad as started to pull his EVA suit on, “You ready to swat some spiders?” He said with his standard pre-mission confidence so that he didn’t have to think about the dangers he was about to face.

D’vaid shook his head as he donned his EVA suit and boots “This will be the second time I have had to face these things. I hope this is when we bring them to rest for the final time. The crawling bastards deserve worse.” He said as he finished the final preps of his EV suit.

  “On that sentiment I couldn’t agree more,” Astrid said to D’vaid.   She made a quick check of the EVA suit and slapped him on the shoulder before picking up a phase compression rifle and handing it to him.  “The bugs are lightly armored, but quick. In fact their speed is their best defense but can be hard to hit.  They will make a whirring,  electronic sound before striking.  It’s not much warning,  but it’s something.   But, once they get into your head it’s a whole new ball game.  The zombies are slow, but incredibly strong and nearly unstoppable.  You need to hit them with a high setting.   Don’t hesitate to shoot any of your team that have been attacked like that. Believe me you are doing them a favor.  I still can’t get Grant’s screams out of my mind.”

Joran frowned and said, “Fast and deadly spiders; slow and strong zombies. Got it.” Pausing he quickly checked the rifle, “Lets hope that we are in and out before they get there.”

Astrid nodded, “The zombies seem to run in packs while the bugs can come from anywhere so you got to keep your head on a swivel.”  She extended her hand to D’vaid,  “Good luck over there.”

D’vaid raised an eyebrow it was not a usual gesture he got “Thank you I will make sure this is the last time we see either of them if its the last thing I do.”

With that Astrid nodded to the rest of the team and moved to stand behind the transporter controls and waited for the final order.  She didn’t want to go over there,  but she felt guilty that she wasn’t. She was here safe while colleagues were putting their lives on the line for hers.  It wasn’t a pleasant feeling. 

“I am ready…” Katsu said, standing there in her EVA suit, waiting for the rest to catch up, and noticing that the program was done. “Prototype spider disable frequency done. I will be field-testing it”

“That’s great to hear Ensign.” Joran said with a nod, “Lets hope for a successful field test,” followed by a laugh but the nerves cave through. Looking over at D’vaid and Katsu he stepped into the PADD, “Ready?”

Nodding to Joran “I am ready” With that being said Katsu nervously stepped onto the platform. 

“Away team, this is Streth,” the Andorian’s voice came over the intercom, “the dreadnought’s hangar bay doors have been breached. The beam-in site is fully vented and decompressed. Confirmed pattern enhancers will not be necessary for beam-out. We’re currently not reading any spider activity, so there should be a clear path to the fighter. Report in as soon as you’ve engaged the reactor breach countdown to give the Altai enough time to clear the blast area. You’re clear for transport as soon as Chief Tel gives the word. Good luck.”

The com fell silent. It fell to Astrid to perform the final transport operation and the eyes of the away team now looked intently to her.

Joran looked over at D’viad and Katsu without any expression on his face, ‘God I hope this works, already got two deaths over my head due to these bugs. Don’t want any others.’ he thought to himself. “Once I am in the Valkyrie I should be somewhat protected, especially if the shields are still online. If you need to get out don’t hesitate.” Closing his eyes he out a sigh and brought the phase compression rifle up so he could quickly fire if needed. “Bridge, this is CPO Tel. Energize.”

Astrid nodded. Entering commands she targeted the beam-in site. “Godspeed,” she said one last time and with index and forefinger she slid her fingers down the console to initiate the transporter cycle.   Seconds later she was alone in the transporter room with only silence to accompany her.

She ran a few scans before pressing the intercom button, “Transporter Room One to bridge. Transport complete sir.”