“Runabouts have entered the atmosphere.” Lieutenant Kondo De La Fontaine reported from the tactical station. The USS Zephyr was leading the attack force against the Vaadwaur invasion of Bunden II, along with their fighters and Montana Stations. They’d thrown ten New Atlantic Runabouts into rescue operations – flying above the colony and transporting as many civilian life signs as they could locate. Kondo worked his console as the weapons of the Typhoon-class starship went to work.

“Keep their attention, Mr. Kondo.” Captain Samson Bradley stood in the middle of the command circle. He wasn’t thrilled with throwing his ship back into the meat grinder of the Vaadwaur. The chance to save 1,000 souls overruled any objections. “Signs of a relief force?”

He glanced over to Ensign Lita Morrison at science and watched her eyes go wide for a moment. She was still young. Coming out from under Pantuso had been a challenge, and he’d had to find ways to naturally boost her confidence. The young officer replied, “Nothing on long or short range. We’re working on identifying a possible location for the aperture.”

The bridge shook slightly, and he turned his attention back to Kondo, “Report.”

“They’re pouring it on, sir – stronger than last time. I think they’ve discovered what we’re up to.”

Samson felt a growl churning in his throat, “Let’s make sure we get what we came here for – return fire at will.”

“This is going to piss them off.” Selene Voss crouched just outside the central colonial city on Bunden II. Beside her, Sinai t’Parthok grinned. Voss and her partner had been paired with her out of necessity. Voss also wondered if the woman was here to keep them in check.

The one woman Romulan brute squad chuckled, “Pissing people off is my speciality.” She had two torpedo rocket launchers strapped to her back and one in her hands. “I’ll hit the barracks, you hit that ugly administration building. You,” she nodded at Dain Kessler, “You hit the fuel depot.”

Selene restrained the smile that threatened to rip apart her stoic lips. The look on Dain’s face had been one of disbelief. She waved him off, and he let out a long sigh, “Goddamn Vaadwaur.”

Sinai’s irritable attitude harshened, “Blow it the hell up. Get ready to run and gun our way through things. We’ll have some Hazard Team support, but we’re on our own to save the day.” She paused, her smile widening, “Off the record.”

Selene grumbled, “Off the record. Let’s do this thing.”

It took under two minutes for the targets to explode in a concussive growling explosion, sending thick black smoke into the air. Selene’s weapons were out as she ran towards the main part of town. Alarms were raised, and shouts from Vaadwaur filled the air. Her instincts took over as she charged up the path into the city, weapons freely sending bodies of the invaders to the ground, a dark charcoal fire outlining a growing circle in the center of their chests. Behind her, Sinai’s pistols rang out in tune, catching those that Selene missed.

The response grew as Vaadwaur troops began to coordinate. Selene took cover for the first time, sending fire over a stone hedge. Sinai skidded to a similar point across from her. Her eyes weren’t wide with alarm or excitement. They were calm, lidded as if this was another Tuesday. Voss frowned. She had heard of Sinai in passing, but had always dismissed her as some young upstart. What she was seeing was something refined. Was this Hasara’s doing? What was he creating on the station? A few blasts tore at the stone near her head. Her attention returned to the task at hand. She called out to Sinai, “You think one of those would put ‘em on their heels?” The Romulan mercenary’s reply was a wicked cackle, and within fifteen seconds, the launcher had fired.

Kondo tapped quickly at his console, “Shields at 70% – Runabouts report they’ve managed to get 500.” The deck was now shaking occasionally, and Captain Bradley had been forced to secure himself in the center chair.

Samson asked, “What’s getting in the way?”

Kondo let another barrage fly, smiling tightly as the attack struck home, “They’ve sent fighters into the atmosphere – it’s getting pretty hot.”

Bradley glanced at his console. The fighters were helping them hold steady. The runabouts wouldn’t last long. “Order all fighters to change targets and attack the fighters.” He tapped at the console. 500 souls. He wasn’t going to leave them behind.

“Intercept the runabouts! Move fast to plug those murderous bastards!” Lieutenant Falcon Llewellyn wasn’t being polite anymore or keeping the channels clean. He was furious at the Vaadwaur for what they had done to this sector, and he was furious at them for going after the humanitarian runabouts. The reports from West Squadron came in quickly, along with details from the Montana fighters. They were taking commands from Zephyr directly, and Falcon was happy. He had enough on his hands with his eight fighters. He slid his Valkyrie-class fighter in and out of the clouds, tracking two fighters on the tail of a runabout. “Don’t you dare, you Vaadwaur bastards.” He took one out without too much trouble, but the second one was daring in his escape from the weapon’s fire from Falcon’s fighter. He watched in horror as the enemy fighter got a lucky shot off on the runabout, and he pushed his engines to the redline as he screamed within firing distance, “Don’t you dare, you son of a…” He tapped the fire commands, and seconds later, the Vaadwaur fighter exploded in fire and flames, falling to the earth below in a spiral of smoke and debris.

The deck shook with alarming regularity as Kondo shouted, “Shields are at 50% – engineering reports we can’t keep this up.” Sparks erupted from consoles as the pounding from the Vaadwaur vessels continued unabated.

Bradley gripped the arms of his chair. They would have to run away again and leave Federation citizens to the mercy of the murderous Vaadwaur. His anger threatened to overwhelm his calm demeanor. “Signal all ships, prepare for a…”

“Captain! Aperture signal increasing! Multiple ships coming through!”

The lights above flickered under the latest brutal assault from the many Vaadwaur ships. Kondo gripped the console, “Shields dropping to 40%!”

All eyes turned to the screen and the unfolding aperture.