The planet Dhaillak, a beautiful and lush green planet, displays its forests, seas, mountains, and lakes from space. But the grim situation it has faced for quite some time is clear as two Klingon Bird-of-Prey unleash another volley of orbital bombardments onto the planet. The Gemini drops out of warp, and a long-range scan reveals debris from destroyed Romulan defense platforms and severely damaged freighters in orbit.

“Lieutenant Taritt, status report! Helm, intercept course!” Silina commanded, leaning forward in her chair. The Gemini began moving toward Dhaillak.

“Lots of debris in orbit. The colony’s orbital communications array is damaged, which will make contact with the surface intermittent. Long-range scanners show Dhaillak’s planetary shields are failing, leaving their infrastructure vulnerable. Fires are visible in the colony’s cities!” Drata reported, trying to gather all the information.

Cho tapped her console. “I’ve got two Bird-of-Prey in orbit. They’re pulling back from their location.”

Looking from her seat to Cho, Ko asked, “Pulling back as in, they acknowledge our arrival?” She turned back to the screen, watching the Klingon ships withdrawing.

“Negative. Judging by the pattern of their flight path, it suggests they’ve finished their initial raids.” Cho shrugged slightly, observing how the Klingons seemed to ignore them. “The third ship is now withdrawing with the other two at impulse speed. I’ve also detected reinforcements on long-range sensors.”

“Ensign Keeyiro, take control of tactical. Lieutenant Taritt, try to hail the Klingons. Commander Yoon-Jung, give the go-ahead signal for the away team to land at the designated zone. They should establish contact with the Romulan militia as soon as possible,” Silina ordered. “Lieutenant Padgok, maintain a defensive orbit. We hold this position and buy the colony as much time as possible. Alert me the moment those reinforcements come into range.”

Walking to the tactical console to relieve the junior officer, Cho added, “I’ve detected a Romulan Republic ship dropping out of warp. The ship is heavily damaged but still operational. Its captain is requesting coordination with us.” Cho sent a coordination acceptance after receiving a nod of approval from her captain.

“The Klingons are ignoring us,” Drata announced, still scanning for any response from the raid group.

“Away teams are ready for transport. Lieutenant Taritt, get them down there,” Ko said firmly, glancing at her console.

Drata nodded and worked the controls. “Getting interference. Klingons have placed jammers in the area, preventing me from getting a solid lock. Redirecting scanners, locking onto a secondary safe site. Come on…”

Surface – Dhaillak

Nine shimmering blue lights flickered and struggled to stabilize before finally materializing into their original shapes. The away team arrived at their location. Miki immediately raised his weapon, followed by three other security officers. “Take cover!” he ordered, signaling the rest of the team as he ducked behind a broken wall. He scanned the chaotic scene. “Doc, I’ve got wounded civilians scattered around, three untreated on the streets!” A nearby explosion rocked the area as the shield’s power visibly flickered.

Viamame peeked out into the street, shrugging grimly as she observed fires burning across nearby buildings and debris strewn everywhere. “The area’s a mess. Movement will be a challenge,” she concluded before ducking behind cover as shots were fired in her direction.

“Get to work! We’ll keep them off you! Security, defensive formation!” Miki shouted, firing at the incoming Klingon attack squad. The other security officers joined in as the engineering team headed toward the generators and the medical team moved to assist the wounded, carrying them to a covered area as humanely as possible given the situation.

L’iera slid onto the ground, quickly beginning triage. “Triage here!”

Viamame nodded in approval, moving to another wounded civilian. “Focus on critical cases first. If they can walk, send them to the staging area, Ensign! Remember the briefing!” She turned to the injured woman, trying to stabilize her wounds. “Take it easy. We’re here to help.”

A frustrated sound came from the grumpy engineer. “This generator’s primary conduits are offline. I’ll need a direct bypass to stabilize it. Lieutenant Miki, you’d better give me cover!” Cezs snapped, pulling out her tools to focus on repairs. “Petty Officer, get on the conduits and help me reroute the power!” The human engineer nodded, diving into the work.

USS Gemini – Orbit

The Romulan D’deridex-class ship, IRW Valorex, took position next to the Gemini, showing extensive damage from its prior engagement. Multiple breaches were visible on its port side from Klingon disruptor fire. Its warp engines were offline, and the ship struggled with basic maneuvering.

“Captain, I’m receiving word from the Valorex. They’re attempting repairs and appreciate our assistance in this crisis,” Drata announced. “Their hull integrity is at 64%, shields are holding at 28%, and they operate on emergency thrusters. Fifteen crew members are confirmed dead, thirty-seven are injured, and they require immediate medical attention, but they’ve prioritized repairs.”

Ko exhaled deeply. “We might be able to take care of their wounded. Perhaps we should beam them over,” Ko suggested thoughtfully.

“Yes, Commander, we should do that. Communicate with the Romulan commander that we’ll take over their wounded,” Silina replied, narrowing her eyes slightly to maintain control of the situation. “Additionally, request any data they’re willing to share that could benefit us. Lieutenant Padgok, take a defensive position in line of sight with the Klingon Raid Group, now designated as KRG1.”

The Gemini moved into position in front of the Valorex. “Position taken, Captain,” Padgok confirmed.

Drata looked up from his console. “Commander Tovan Sorec greets us personally but insists we focus on the colony’s defense, not them. He does appreciate the gesture. We’ve received sensor logs from the Valorex’s earlier battles. Ensign Keeyiro, Lieutenant Padgok, these logs contain attack patterns. We need to work together to refine defensive strategies. Is that okay, Captain?”

“Good thinking. Still, medical support is the least we can provide,” Silina replied, blinking at the sound of a beep and glancing at Ko.

Annoyed at the snap toward her, Ko checked her data. “Ensign Keeyiro, confirm intercept course for the Bird-of-Prey heading toward us,” she said, analyzing tactical and operational information.

“Confirmed. Klingon Bird-of-Prey on intercept course, arriving in three minutes. The ship is registered as IKS Qevla, under the command of HoD Dorvath,” Cho reported. “Gaining more data on the remaining ships. The others are IKS Har’loch, IKS Grevok, and IKS Trel’koth. They’re keeping their distance for now.”

Silina leaned back in her chair, staring at the screen. “Shit…” she muttered. The weight of the decision loomed. Leave the Valorex undefended to protect the colony, or risk the colony to defend the Romulan ship. Tapping her finger on the chair, a habit she had picked up from her girlfriend, she whispered to herself, “What to do…”