“Where are they coming from?!” Midux, the latest reinforcement to the ground forces, yelled. He was providing cover for the engineering personnel who were doing their best to get the broken-down shield generators back online. “Keep them at a distance! Provide supportive fire!”

The Tellarite woman was pulling out cables. “Useless! Why bypass this? There’s no efficiency in these generators!” She complained more about the engineering choices the Romulans had made than about the shooting happening in her direction. “Oh…” She stopped and narrowed her eyes at something, pulling out a chip. “This isn’t standard Romulan tech…” She threw it to the ground and tapped her badge. “Miki, we’ve got infiltrators sabotaging the generators.”

Field hospital – City Edge

“Received. I’ll inform the away teams and militia. Miki out.” Miki tapped her badge, walking back into the makeshift field hospital toward Ibrix and another Romulan standing nearby. “Centurion, the suspicion is confirmed. Our engineering team found sabotage in the generators. Inform your people—we’ve got infiltrators to deal with.”

The mid-40s Romulan looked calmly at Miki, a hallmark of his ability to remain composed under pressure. He narrowed his eyes slightly and nodded. “I’ll inform my people of this new intel.” He looked at another Romulan standing nearby, who quickly left with a nod. “I haven’t introduced myself yet. I’m Centurion Varek tr’Khalon, militia commander of Dhaillak. As I mentioned to your Chief Medical Officer, I’m grateful Starfleet is here, but I’d appreciate it if you’d push the Klingons out of the system.”

“While that’s understandable, Centurion, we have clear orders. Defend and provide humanitarian support to this colony—but do not engage the Klingons. If we do, we might escalate this into a full-blown war for both of us,” Viamame pointed out. Hearing whimpers of pain nearby, she excused herself. “Please excuse me.”

Letting out a sigh, Varek looked back at Miki. “I understand, but this colony is all we have left. If Dhaillak falls, it’s another reminder that no one will come to save us. Not the Republic, and certainly not Starfleet. Prove me wrong, Lieutenant.” With that, he walked away to tend to his people.

USS Gemini – Bridge

The battle group had cloaked in preparation for their next attack run until the IKS Trel’koth reappeared in low orbit, unleashing another volley of bombardments on the planet. “The Trel’koth has started another bombardment round,” Cho announced as the Bird-of-Prey dropped its ordinance onto the colony shields.

“Intercept course! Get between it!” Silina ordered.

Padgok pulled the Gemini into position, pushing the throttle forward. The Gemini adjusted course just in time to avoid the IKS Qevla, which decloaked directly in front of them. The Qevla opened fire, hitting the Gemini with repeated disruptor volleys. “I’m forced to pull back to defensive orbit,” Padgok announced, maneuvering the Gemini to safety.

Meanwhile, the IKS Har’loch decloaked near the IRW Valorex and began firing on the damaged Romulan ship. Despite its critical state, the Valorex managed to disable the Har’loch’s cloaking device with a decisive counterattack.

“Captain, the Valorex is under assault by the Klingons!” Drata announced. “The Har’loch has lost its cloaking ability due to the Valorex’s counterattack. We’re in a position to support them!”

Cho’s eyes narrowed as she reported additional incoming ships. “The IKS Grevok has joined the Trel’koth in orbit, pushing us back from their attack run. Captain, what are we supposed to do now?” Cho asked, her tone strained.

Scenarios ran through Silina’s mind. She looked at the data and considered the situation. Her burden grew with each second. If not for her experience with Sazra as her XO, she might have frozen as any rookie captain would. But she wasn’t a rookie anymore. “Protect the Valorex. I trust the away team to handle the situation on the surface!” With that, the Gemini broke from its defensive orbit and opened fire on the Har’loch to push it away.

Shield Generator – City Edge

Heavy breathing, distant explosions, and screaming filled the air as Miki arrived at the shield generator. “Status report!” she barked, taking cover and opening fire on incoming Klingons.

“We’re holding them back, but I have no idea where they’re coming from!” Midux yelled, exasperated. “I think they’re using cloaked shuttles to reinforce themselves!”

“That would explain a lot,” Miki muttered. She peeked over the broken wall she was using as cover and saw a Klingon squad advancing. At the same time, the shield generator powered up. “Ahh, shit. This is their final push. Remember your training—these bastards know what they’re doing!” With that, Miki yanked a Klingon over the wall and engaged in brutal hand-to-hand combat. “Protect the generator!”

Field hospital – City Edge

The ground shook as the Klingons resumed their bombardment. “Get them to the new location!” Viamame shouted, helping a wounded militia member back onto his feet. “L’iera, help me with him!” The Deltan rushed to assist, supporting the injured man’s weight as they moved.

A massive explosion erupted behind them, throwing the officers to the ground. L’iera shook her head, her vision blurred. She felt warm fluid at the back of her head. Touching it, she saw blood on her hand. A firm hand gripped her arm, pulling her to her feet—it was Varek.

“Get up, Ensign. You okay?” Varek asked as he helped Viamame and the injured officer. “They’re cowards, bombing the hospital,” he spat angrily. “But we need to keep moving.”

Viamame knelt beside a fallen medic, grief evident in her expression. She looked up as the bombardment ceased. Through the broken roof, she could see the shields flickering back online. “They did it. They managed to repair the generators. We have shields again.” Rising to her feet, she addressed Varek. “Help us get the wounded to the relocated triage center.” Varek nodded and supported L’iera, who struggled to maintain her balance. “Easy, Ensign. Let’s get that head wound checked.”

Shield Generator – City Edge

The remaining Klingons retreated after their failed assault. Blood seeping from a wound in her shoulder, Cezs muttered, “I don’t know if this repair will hold through another raid.” She glanced at the generator. “But for now, it’ll do, even after this fragile win.”

Pinning a Klingon to the ground, Miki pressed her knee into his back and twisted his arm painfully. “Talk, or I’ll break it,” she growled.

“You Starfleet types won’t do it,” the Klingon sneered, spitting at her and missing.

Miki glared. “I don’t think anyone will file a complaint if I do.” She twisted harder. “What are House T’Vagh’s plans?”

The Klingon growled in pain. “The House is planning a larger invasion of the sector. We’ll claim the riches and honor! Neither the Romulans nor your mighty Starfleet can stop us!”

Before Miki could respond, a Romulan militia member knocked the Klingon unconscious with the butt of his rifle. “He talks too much,” the Romulan muttered.

USS Gemini – Bridge

The Gemini swooped over the IKS Qevla, firing torpedoes and delivering a crippling blow. “Hit!” Cho said enthusiastically before noticing Ko’s glare. “Sorry. The Qevla is retreating.”

Drata resumed his report. “The Har’loch was disabled by the Valorex, but only after the Romulans sacrificed their remaining aft disruptor power to do so. Our shields are holding at 74%. Engineering is focused on repairs, but there’s nothing critical.”

“Focus the teams on maintaining critical functions,” Ko ordered. “Reports from the colony confirm their shields are back online. The Trel’koth and Grevok are retreating to regroup with the Qevla, leaving the Har’loch behind. Captain, we’re dealing with cowardly Klingons.” She grinned, leaning back in her chair.

“It seems that way. Lieutenant Scott, extend our shields to cover the Valorex and offer medical or engineering assistance,” Silina instructed.

“Understood. Shield support engaged,” Scott confirmed. “This was a gamble, but it worked in our favor, Captain,” she added bluntly.

Silina sighed, reflecting on the burden of her decision. Trusting the away team, prioritizing the Valorex, and holding the Klingons at bay had been a heavy gamble. “This time it worked. Let’s learn from it. Inform Starfleet Command about our situation. “