“Detecting several Vaadwaur signals.” Lieutenant Kondo De La Fontaine grumbled as his tactical screens trilled with multiple contact alarms.

Captain Samson Bradley stared at the screen. There was no more they could do. “Signal ret-” He didn’t get to finish for the second time as another report came from the science station.

Kondo’s voice veered into disbelief, “Detecting Starfleet signals! One…two…three…four ships!”

Bradley blinked, “What?”

On board the Franklin D. Roosevelt, Captain Peter Crawford gritted his teeth as the Ambassador class stumbled through underspace, their target aperture locked in. They had fallen into an aperture near Andor during the attack. Unable to get out, they, along with the USS Nova, had dove straight into the labyrinth of tunnels of underspace. They had traded fire with Vaadwaur as they’d flown, erratically searching for signs of how to get back home.

In desperation, Lieutenant Saffron Helsing typed wildly at the helm, “We’ve got a possible path!”

Crawford didn’t hesitate, “Adjust course!” The Ambassador class swerved toward the new course. Behind her, the small Nova followed in her wake.

“Who thought this was a good idea?” Captain Helena Dread sat in the command chair on the bridge of the USS Gagarin as the myriad images of the walls of underspace reflected. She chuckled, “Oh yeah, it was me.” The bridge shook slightly as the hands of their communications officer, Ensign Jake Shaw, steered the ship through the twists and turns.

“Captain Dread – we’re right behind you. Picking up some Vaadwaur signals in and around us.” The voice of Captain Wren Walton on the Perseverance echoed across the bridge. They had chased after a group of Vaadwaur into the aperture. The ships were gone by the time they had slipped through the opening and into the underspace. “We think we’ve got a signal from Montana.”

Dread leaned forward, saying, “Lock onto that signal and follow us—we’re getting the hell out of here.” The Gagarin class jumped forward, and the Pathfinder class starship followed.

Within hours, the two groups of ships had found each other. Crawford quickly took command of the unofficial armada, and they pressed on. They snuck past Vaadwaur patrols and observed some retreats. They came closer and closer to the signal. Coming around a corner, all four Federation ships ran headlong into a small group of Vaadwaur ships, who fled through the aperture as weapons began to fly. The four ships followed them, bursting out into Bunder II’s chaos.

“What?” Bradley said it again, his mind confused. His eyes now saw both on screen and his console in the center chair. Kondo reported that the Gagarin, Nova, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Perseverance had arrived.

“And are engaging the Vaadwaur force!” he finished.

A new voice came through the speakers, “Captain Bradley, Captain Crawford here – we’ve got it from here.”

The weight of four fresh starships shifted the balance of battle quickly. The Gagarin went to work immediately, her phasers and torpedoes together with her speed slicing paths through the enemy that allowed the small Nova and Perseverance room to throw their punches into the open wounds created by their friend. The Franklin D. Roosevelt didn’t hold back. Seventy years of experience with the Ambassador class in various forms of action informed what happened next.

Crawford threw them into the remains of what was left, smashing phasers into shields, and torpedoes into newly exposed hulls. Fires burst from parts of the Vaadwaur ships as the relentless firepower of four Starfleet vessels slammed a thumb onto the scales of the sector.

Bradley watched in amazement as the Vaadwaur’s attention shifted, and they began to move away from Bunder II, under fire from all directions.

“All Vaadwaur fighters are returning to space – they’re attempting to land on their carriers.”

Bradley’s eyes narrowed. “Open fire, Mr. Kondo. Order our fighters and Montana’s squadron back into action with us. All available firepower on the fighters and retreating ships.” No one argued. The Vaadwaur had made their intentions clear each time they had encountered them. No quarters were given. This was war.

“Chase ‘em down!” Lieutenant Falcon Llewellyn pushed his Valkryie-class fighter out of the atmosphere of Bunden II, selecting the remaining targets of the Vaadwaur fighters on the screen. They had tirelessly defended the runabouts in the fights throughout the atmosphere. Two of the New Atlantic class runabouts had been hit, and emergency transport by the others in the group had managed to get everyone off before the two had exploded.

“West 4 – We’re splashing as many of them as we can, but they’re getting closer to the big ships with bigger guns. Do we pursue?” Ensign Aisha Zephyr’s voice asked in his headphones.

Falcon opened his mouth to order them to push forward, but he stopped. They’d beaten the Vaadwaur back. He needed his wing back in one piece. “Pull back and run protection patrols while we get all the runabouts off to Montana. Pair up and keep every eye open. Bastards could be faking us out.” Each wing pilot responded in the affirmative. He closed the channel and sat back in his seat. The sight of four additional starships had been a welcome surprise, especially the Gagarin. That ship had teeth.

“Captains Walton and Park will escort Zephyr and the Runabouts home. Gagarin – bring up the rear with us and we’ll mop up what’s needed.” Crawford finished his orders to the other ships’ commanding officers and closed the channel. “Report.”

Lieutenant Vlokar said, “The Vaadwaur ships are in retreat and are moving out of range of our sensors within the blackout area. We have multiple readings of large explosions on the planet’s surface and high rates of phaser and blaster fire that continue. ” He frowned. I’m detecting several explosions from the retreating forces. Two of the larger Vaadwaur vessels have… self-destructed?”

Peter turned to his Chief Science Officer, “Lieutenant…that sounded suspiciously like a question.”

The Vulcan nodded, seemingly confused, “I have not observed or have records of such things occurring on Vaadwaur vessels…it is not within their behavior matrix.” He pulled up the sensors, “And yet, the explosions that occurred on the ships came from within.”

Ensign Merlin Markell turned in his chair at communications, “Sir, receiving a coded transmission from an unknown sender.” Crawford waved him on. “The House Always Wins.”

Peter opened his mouth, but closed it. He had a vague idea of what that meant. “Save that message for Montana to review. Did we get everyone?”

Vlokar was scanning the planet below, “There are approximately thirty humans left on the planet and fifty Vaadwaur scattered.”

“Transport the human signals aboard immediately. Have Dr. Mika and his team dispatched to the transporter rooms.” He paused, “You look as if you’re going to ask what we should do with the Vaadwaur?” The Vulcan nodded. Crawford felt the eyes of the bridge crew shift towards him. “We’ll get our people out and have Gagarin escort us home. The Vaadwaur got themselves into trouble; let them get out of it.” He asked, “Are there any human signals that don’t match up with our rosters?”

Vlokar frowned and completed the scan: “Yes, two humans and one Romulan. The Romulan is known to us as a member of the civilian operation on Montana.”

Crawford steepled his fingers, “Leave them be. If my suspicions are correct, the Vaadwaur will wish we’d picked them up.”

Vlokar’s frown deepened. “Sir?”

Crawford replied, “Trust the process, Lieutenant. Let’s get our people home.”

“Now it’s just us and the rest of the Vaadwaur fools.” Selene Voss snarked as she stood next to Sinai t’Parthok, where they looked over the remains of the colony city. Smoke rose from nearly every corner as fires burned freely.

Sinai smiled slyly, “I suppose we should get to making their life difficult.”

Voss grinned, “Time to get to work.”