In Enemy Hands (Part II of IV)
Posted on Thu Mar 25, 2021 @ 10:32pm by Captain Maritza Soran & Captain Tam "Demon" Haican & Civilian Hydel Turvan
2,072 words; about a 10 minute read
Mission:
Si vis pacem, para bellum
Location: Panagaea research colony
Timeline: MD04 0500
Previously in
"Ov-over here!" Gil Tacion shouted to the other Cardassian soldiers who made their way over to the gil. "There...was a soldier, female, highly trained… There may be more of them using the cave as a base camp," he said through clenched teeth as one of the other soldiers performed medical aid on his wounds.
"We...need...to deal with her," he said slowly. "Wherever she is...whatever she is," Gil Tacion said. A soldier who looked like a child had nearly bested him. He was not going to rest until he had gotten his revenge.
And now the continuation
Cardassian Complex
"Legate Turvan, there is a tight-beam communication coming in from the fleet. It's Gul Kyren," the legate's aide told him.
"Put her through," he ordered. Within a few moments, the holographic projection of the Cardassian Intelligence Bureau officer appeared before him.
"Legate, a patrol on the surface encountered a cabin just five miles outside of the main colony. A small detachment encountered two individuals inside of the cabin. However, a conflict occurred and several troopers were killed in the conflict. We originally believed it was a training error for a small detachment of Starfleet Security or Marines due to the discovery of a communication device, as well as high-level disruptors and phasers," the intelligence officer reviewed.
"However, my people were able to dig deeper, and we discovered that the property was constructed under the orders of a Commander Caleb Ryan, the Executive Officer of the station," she said.
"But Commander Ryan is currently on the station. How could he have attacked our men?" Legate Turvan asked.
"Exactly, sir. It was a Ryan...just not Caleb," Gul Kyren said with a smile.
"Wait...What are you saying? The only other individual would be his...daughter, a mere child!" Legate Turvan said incredulously.
Gul Kyren nodded in agreement. "Yes, sir. Somehow, his daughter and her mate were able to catch our troopers off guard and elude capture. Clearly, his daughter has received a significant amount of close combat tactical training," the intelligence gul said.
Legate Turvan leaned closer to the projection. "You are to devote whatever assets are necessary to locate and capture this child. Do I make myself clear, Gul Kyren?" the legate asked intently.
"Indeed, sir. I will begin dispatching a team to the surface to augment Gul Meran's troops immediately," she said.
"Very well. Turvan out," Legate Turvan said, terminating the link. It appeared the commander held deadly secrets of his own. How else would his child have been able to kill a team of Cardassian troopers and still escape capture. There was something about her that Legate Turvan intended to discover.
Klingon blocks
N'yevel of House K'atach let the latest Cardassian fall from her blade. Their numbers were dwindling, and the Cardassians seem to have an inexhaustible supply of troops to throw at them. To the north, she could hear the small resistance the Federation were putting up. They would be overrun very soon. "We must rally!" she shouted to the two warriors nearest her. "And get word to Ambassador Chargwl'lH. The network hub!" She pointed towards the taller building near the honor ring, and the three bagan to run towards it; the street was bloody, but clear of the enemy. A brisk run would see them there
And then there was the high screaming of ships overhead. She glanced up to see fighters swoop in, release missiles.
The impact hit thirty meters away, the force lifting them from their feet and hurling them back. N'yevel saw one warrior go smashing into the side of the armoury, even as she was flung back down the street. The other hit the ground beside her, and she heard something snap as he landed. Her own landing was slightly more graceful, but she rolled and rolled, scraping skin already raw from the heat. She growled, welcoming the pain. She would take it with the blood of their enemies.
But her initial plan was done. The communication tower on the network hub was so much rubble. The fighters came about, and all she could do was watch as they levelled their sites on the honor ring and opened fire.
A few seconds after the Cardassians had decimated the honor ring, they started banking back around and lining up for another strafing run of the Klingon sector. One of the fighters seemed to be coming directly at N'yevel. As it got closer, the wails from its air foils began to scream louder and louder. It then started to fire rapid shots for its forward phasers, quickly drawing a line towards the Klingon warrior.
N'yevel saw her death coming, and adrenalin got her moving. She would not be slaughtered by a Cardassian dog who needed a ship's fire power to do it, even a small one. She got her legs under her and ran, as fast as she could with her ankle snapped, for the cover of the nearest building, the feast hall, the whine of phasers burning up the ground behind her getting closer. She was going to make it.
And then her ankle gave way entirely, caught awkwardly in a pothole, and she crashed down again, and the fighter got closer, too close
When the weapons fire was about five meters from her, the Cardassian ship exploded in a cloud of vapor and duranium. Through the cloud, a Starfleet Reaper screamed past N'yevel, the pilot giving a thumbs up to the warrior. On the fuselage, under the canopy, were the words, CAPT TAM "DEMON" HAICAN.
N'yevel had dodged Sto-Vo-Kor, for the time being.
The remaining Hideki fighters recovered from the surprise of the flight leader being shot down. They banked around a flaming Klingon structure and broke off into separate pairs. One pair continued their assault run on the surviving Klingons while the other pair began to pursue the Starfleet Reaper that had just arrived.
Mriytic Cardăsa! (Cardassia will rise!) the Cardassian pilot shouted as he began to open fire on the Reaper as he continued to pursue it over the rooftops of the adjacent complex and away from the burning Klingon complex and towards an outgrowth of large rocks that seemed to come from a set of underwater tunnels. The two fighters tried to box Haican in between the two of them where they could continuously fire on his fighter and prevent him from rolling in either direction.
Tam tried to evade and escape, but the two spoonheads were too good. "A little help here, folks. I've got two rats trying to grab my cheese here!"
A few beats later, a response came over his headset. "Wraith inbound, Demon. Stand by," First Lieutenant Sovrak, Tam's XO, replied in his typical calm Vulcan manner. "Break skyward on my mark."
Griping his controls a little tighter, Tam answered. "Ready," A stray phaser blast from behind screamed past his canopy.
"Now!"
Without hesitation, Tam yanked backwards on his control yolk and slammed his throttle full forward. As his Reaper clawed its way skyward, the two Cardassian fighters tailing him tried to follow. Being a bit less maneuverable, their climb wasn't as fast. That was their undoing.
Being so focused on killing the pilot who had killed their commander, neither noticed the other starfighter coming at them.
As soon as Tam cleared his field of fire, Sovrak opened up with his phasers. One Hideki was instantly destroyed, and the other took a serious hit on its port engine. It pinwheeled to port and slammed into the ground below.
"Your rat problem has been eliminated, Demon," Sovrak stated, in a tone as even as if he were ordering a mug of tea from the replicator.
Reversing his direction, Tam regrouped with his fellow pilot. "Thanks, Wraith. The first round’s on me, once we get back to the barn. Now, form up on my port and what's say we have some more fun down here?"
If Tam could see the Vulcan, he would see the eyebrow arch sharply. "I believe it will be the first two rounds, Demon. And I am forming up. Lead the way."
The pair sped off, looking for more work.
The remaining two fighters continued their task of laying waste to the Klingon complex and any Klingons that were bold or foolish enough to stray from the security of their bunker and into the field of battle. The third fighter in the flight continued to lay down suppressing fire on a small gathering of Klingons who used shoulder slung disruptors to fire in response. The deft fighter was able to absorb the hand weapons as it continued to maneuver through the smoke and smouldering remains of the complex.
The fourth fighter banked around the corner of a partially demolished building that the Klingons had relied upon for medical treatment and service. The fighter brought itself low to the ground, a dangerous position due to the fact that even the slightest mistake would send it careening into the ground with little chance to recover. The pilot took the chance and opened fire on the group of Klingon fighters, instantly decimating them. The fighter soared past their bodies, flying upward to get a better overhead view of what buildings still remained.
As the Cardassian was hunting for another target, he had no idea that he was being hunted. From a kilometer away and half a kilometer above, Tam saw the slaughter. He felt sick to watch it. The damn spoonheads never tried to fight honorably. They always smiled in your face, then stabbed you in the back when you turned. "Wraith, cover my six, I see another Cardie that just decided that he didn't want to live anymore."
"On your six, Demon."
The pair of Starfleet Raptors wheeled over and dove towards back into the battle, Tam already getting his sights visually lined up. He didn't want to use his sensors, as it would give him away.
The two Hideki fighters had continued to lay down suppressing fire on the other Klingon buildings within their district. At this point, it was not about preventing any type of offensive action, but more just pure enjoyment of watching Klingon buildings burn and watching as the various inhabitants attempted to flee for safety and security. They found none as each time a group of Klingons made a run from one collapsing structure, the fighters made sure to target them in their next go-round.
The two Raptors kept getting closer, always staying in the sensor void that the Hidekis always had. This close, Tam had stopped speaking; he didn't want to risk giving their position away. His finger was starting to hover over the trigger on his weapons control stick. Just a few more meters.
Which is when another pair shot in from further out, phasers firing and cutting across Tam's tail section, overpowering his shields. His rear thruster and the output manifold exploded with a tearing sound, and his cockpit filled with alarms, propulsion shutting down, steering on fire, SIF failing, and the Reaper plunged from the sky.
Tam fought valiantly to save his fighter, but he knew it was too late. With only a briefest of pauses to think of his daughter, he activated the ejection controls. Instantly, the canopy was explosively separated from the fighter, then, an instant later, Tam's seat was rocketed out and away from the stricken craft, taking him along with it.
After two beats, the survival shroud activated and completely enveloped him and his seat. The whole cycle took less than a second, leaving him looking like a large, white ball falling to ground.
“Wraith to control,” the Vulcan reported calmly after he dispatched the fighters that had shot down his commander. “Demon has been shot down. Repeat. He has been shot down. I did see both a successful ejection and shrouding sequence. However, cannot locate him, due to foliage overgrowth. Sending coordinates of last known position for search and rescue, over.”
The only reply was static. Sovrak realized that all comms were being jammed. All he could do for his friend was survive the battle and get the coordinates up to command. After taking one last look at the forest below, the Vulcan peeled away and sped for friendlier skies.
To be Continued…
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