From: neale@mentor.cc.purdue.edu (Neale Davidson)
Subject: STTRR 11-15/20 repost
Organization: Purdue University Computing Center
Date: Wed, 2 Sep 1992 15:55:13 GMT

 
  - STAR TREK        -------------------------------------------------
  - THE RAVEN'S ROAR -------------------------------------------------
 
  Part Eleven through Twenty of Twenty
 
  --------------------------------------------------------------------
 
  CHAPTER ELEVEN
 
        "Thank you SARATOGA," Tiber exclaimed as the two smaller
  Romulan craft disengaged the ENTERPRISE and rushed to meet the
  new trio of ships that had appeared.
        Riley felt a wave of relief upon him, his gamble had
  worked, after all, even if it had been a bit too close. "Draw
  us away from the FIERY RAVEN so we can get our sheilds on
  line," Riley commanded. "Engineering, I need to divert as much
  power to sheilds and weapons as I can."
        Grissom's shaking voice came over the intercom, "I'm
  doing what I can. I'm even drawing from life support from
  certain decks."
        "Then channel all avaiable warp power through the
  shields, but get them up," Riley commanded, all too aware of
  what would happen if the Romulan battleship could recharge her
  torpedo bay before the shields were in better shape.
        "Aye, sir," Grissom quaked. The fear which accompanied
  battle had gripped her as well, Riley considered for only a
  brief moment.
        Again the ENTERPRISE drew herself away from the FIERY
  RAVEN, but the Romulan craft wasn't about to give up the chase.
  Already she began to pull ahead to keep range. ~Crafty, this
  one,~ Sunak muttered, having previously underestimated his
  opponent. ~It is I who have been baited,~ he concluded with
  admiration. He then gave the signal to fire.
        "Sheilds only up to twenty percent, still not enough to
  resist a plasma torpedo," Tiber announced and instantly
  regretted. The FIERY RAVEN had launched another shot, this time
  accompanied with phasers. For the first time, the ENTERPRISE's
  hull would be comprimised.
        The torpedo slammed into the hull of the Federation
  battleship, rendering the shields powerless. The phaser barrage
  ripped through the armored secondary hull, tearing open crew
  compartments and deckways.
        Crewmen of differing ranks rushed away, attempting to
  seal off the breached areas. Lightning storms from ruptured
  power connections filled the air. Thankfully, few were killed,
  as the crew knew better than to stay at the edges of the ship.
        "We've taken hits in decks nineteen, twenty, and
  twenty-one. Three confirmed dead, sixteen unaccounted for,"
  R'Ress reported as the ship's commincation channels roared into
  life. But Riley couldn't think of the dead now. He had to be
  concerned with keeping alive the living.
        "Train all weapons on the FIERY RAVEN and fire," he
  commanded with a grim determination, even as his ship bled
  energy into space. "Standby to execute emergency warp jump," he
  added, wondering wether he should pull away from the battle
  outright, cutting his losses.
        The ENTERPRISE retaliated, sending her massive fury into
  the heart of her enemy. The torpedoes fired, nearly point
  blank, sending the Romulan battleship reeling. Sunak and his
  crew were thrown to the floor, surprised by the firepower the
  ENTERPRISE could carry. ~Our starboard and aft sheild
  generators have been destroyed, Commander,~ Tonin complained.
        Sunak returned to his seat, a bit shaken by the massive
  blow he'd recieved. ~I can't believe they fired torpedoes that
  close,~ he said with genuine surprise. ~Get us some distance,
  and overlap our sheilds.~
        Rela obeyed her commander, taking the ship away from her
  impressive foe. ~Should we assist the less craft, Commander?~
  she asked, concerned that the two vessels were getting
  thoroughly trounced by the Federation trio.~
        Sunak folded his arms, ~Negative. The ENTERPRISE is far
  too powerful to be left alone. We'll stay with her until she is
  destroyed.~
        Tiber studied over his tactical scanners again, a bit
  relieved by the new readings. "We've severly damaged their
  sheild grid, Captain. Also, some of their main weapon power
  couplings have been destroyed."
        Finally, a bit of good news, Riley kept to himself. "What
  about us, Lieutenant?"
        "Grissom's got the sheilds back up to fifty-three
  percent, and our weapons are still on line," Tiber reported.
  "We have enough torpedoes for three more volleys."
        "Then let's hit them while we've got an advantage," Riley
  ordered. "Fire volley into FIERY RAVEN." He grimaced, he had
  been using more torpedoes than what was wise for an extended
  battle. He didn't need to spend the ENTERPRISE again, and he'd
  been cutting things far too close for his comfort.
        The ENTEPRISE again launched her death-bringers to the
  now-damaged FIERY RAVEN. In rapid succession, the torpedoes
  battered the fading sheilds of the Romulan ship. The battleship
  succeeded in phasering two of the torpedoes into nothingness,
  but the last remaining two went made it through the ship's
  defenses and to the ship itself.
        The RAVEN's starboard naccell was ripped away from the
  remainder of the ship with the first torpedo, and then was
  slammed into oblivion with the second. ~Bring us around, launch
  all available weapons into that thing,~ Sunak cried, feeling
  victory slip from his grasp.
        The FIERY RAVEN turned and fired in one swift motion,
  sending yet another massive torpedo into the damaged
  ENTERPRISE's sheilds. The torpedo ripped through, stripping a
  piece of the secondary hull clean off of the ship.
        "Massive damage below, sir," Tiber nearly panicked.
  "Another nine fatalities. Recommend withdrawl, Captain."
        "I concur," Saavik finally spoke, a bit of nervousness in
  her voice. "We cannot remain in battle for very much longer."
        "If we leave now," Riley muttered, "how many other small
  ships will suffer? How much more death will the RAVEN cause.
  I'd rather lose this ship, than a dozen or more others," he
  retorted. "No, we finish this here and now, if at all
  possible."
 
  CHAPTER TWELVE
 
        The damaged TAKARA MORLATTA may have looked tattered an
  broken, but she still was painfully able to dish out large
  amounts of punishment. The HIENLEN's Captain made a mistake
  and underestimated her, going in for what she thought was a
  sure kill.
        But the Romulan craft wasn't noticably weakened by the
  torpedeo hit, and was able to counter with a barrage of phaser
  power which pitted the HIENLEN's otherwise pristine primary
  hull.
        The SARATOGA and MORAN set about double teaming the other
  Romulan scout ship. Already the two vessels were withering away
  the small craft's shielding into tatters. The TAKARA MORLATTA
  fired her phasers incessently, trying to keep the powerful
  Federation destroyer SARATOGA from getting near enough to
  effectively counter attack.
        But the advantage in the battle clearly belonged to the
  Federation starships. SARATOGA pressed on, with significant aid
  from photon power eminating from the MORAN.
        Rela's eyes widened with excitment as she viewed the
  tactical monitor. The Federation had a definate advantage. All
  of the remaning Romulan craft had been severly damaged,
  including the RAVEN herself, and only one of the Federation
  scouts had been scarred. Granted, the SARATOGA had fled a
  battle previously, but she seemed to want to avenge her former
  cowardice.
        Sunak regarded his minion's, his love's, expressions with
  equal enthusiasm. Here was a Romulan who fully understood duty
  an honor, a rarity in these scarce times. She had energy,
  drive, and sprit. Sunak, in the middle of combat, watching her,
  had come to the conclusion that he loved her. He decided
  that his first gift to her would be named the ENTERPRISE.
        ~Swing around again, launching a phaser barrage,~ Sunak
  commanded with renewed self assurance. ~When we've cut to
  minimum range, launch the plasma.~
        The FIERY RAVEN turned gently around, once again facing
  her most worthy adversary. The ENTERPRISE hung in space, still
  angry and determined, even with pieces of her mission.
        But Riley had been the fierce one aboard the ship,
  determined to end the battle, and to destroy the renegade
  legion that Sunak had created. He and his personal fleet had
  more damage in this one battle than any of Sunak's ships had
  ever taken in their carrers.
        SARATOGA fired another series of torpedoes at the scout's
  hull. Now stripped of sheilds, the exposed vessel was torn to
  shreads under the massive energies of the Federation weapons.
  The MORAN closed as well, letting go with her limited phasers,
  scarring the debris.
        The HIENLEN had managed another turn, coming away from
  her agressor a bit more scarred than before. The TAKARA
  MORLATTA fired her plasma torpedo again, but this time the
  HIENLEN's shields were powerful enough to deflect the attack.
  The HIENLEN countered with her own torpedo series, slamming
  into the TAKARA MORLATTA's boom section.
        In a brief second, the torpedoes ripped through every
  deck until they found themselves crashing into engineering. The
  Romulan craft erupted into a ball of hellfire, and then
  dispersed into the great void.
        Sunak grimaced, the battle was now as good as lost. The
  Federation scout turned to aid the MORAN and SARATOGA in
  finishing off the TAKARA MORLATTA, ending their side battle.
        Then the ENTERPRISE once again made her presence felt,
  slamming several torpedoes into the FIERY RAVEN's hull,
  hovering just outside of the main torpedo's range. ~Rela, close
  range to ENTERPRISE and keep our sights on her,~ he commanded
  with grim overtones. He knew that once the scout was finished,
  the trio of Federation ships, damaged as they were, would
  attack and likely destroy the RAVEN next.
 
        It had been going well so far, despite the damage and how
  thin the supplies were getting. Riley's little gambit had
  worked, and, what was more, the UNION and her main fleet were
  on their way. But Riley was wise enough to know better than to
  assume victory was near, instead concentrating on the task at
  hand. He was concentrating on removing the FIERY RAVEN from
  this plane of existance.
        "Sir," Tiber announced with a bit of renewed enthusiasm,
  "The MORAN reports that the last Romulan scout's shields are
  down and they are moving in for the finish."
        But Riley wasn't happy with the news. Fear and
  desperation gripped him, for he knew the Romulan Way far too
  well. "What? Get them out of there," he barked in a loudness
  that could be heard from front to stern of the huge ENTERPRISE.
  "Tell those idiots to pull back," he screamed.
        But it had been too late. The TAKARA MORLATTA had drawn
  in both the MORAN and SARATOGA, who were attempting to finish
  off the tiny ship. But it was the Romulan who would perform
  best in this combat. Her commander had ordered that the barrier
  between the ship's anti-matter and matter containers be
  dropped.
        The Romulan scout exploded in a wave of annihilation
  which ripped through the MORAN and SARATOGA as if they hadn't
  existed. The crews of the two ships hadn't the time to realize
  their fate, they too were annihilated in the death-storm. Even
  the HIENLEN, as far from the explosion as she had been,
  suffered from the effect, losing her shielding and stripped of
  parts of the outer layer of her hull. The scout quietly headed
  back for the UNION, knowing that she had been spent.
        But two ships remained, as it seemed inevitable that it
  would. The ENTERPRISE and FIERY RAVEN had been far removed from
  the act of self-sacrifice. Aboard the ENTERPRISE, there was
  stunned silence. Aboard the FIERY RAVEN, there was reverence.
 
  CHAPTER THIRTEEN
 
        "Damn them," Riley cried, breaking the silence that had
  dominated the bridge. "What's FIERY RAVEN's status?" he asked,
  hoping that his enemy had suffered more than the ENTERPRISE.
        "They've taken massive damage to their weapons systems
  and to their impulse drive," Tiber reported. "Her shields are
  shimmering on and off, and she's unable to cloak."
        That was the good news, but the ENTERPRISE had suffered
  from the Romulan's ferocious counter-attack as well. "What's
  our status?" Riley finally got up the nerve to ask.
        "Sheilds are down to fifteen percent, with our starboard
  shield gone," Tiber replied grimly. "We're down to half impulse
  power, and are warp engines are unstable. We also have seven
  torpedoes remaining, and phaser power is down twenty percent."
        "Still pretty much an even match," Riley observed, his
  mind lost in endless computations. Fortunately, the UNION now
  was only five minutes away, and likely well within scanning
  range of the FIERY RAVEN. Still, five minutes was a great deal
  of time in the midst of combat.
        "Correction, sir," Saavik piped up. "I believe that is we
  who possess the advantage. The Romulan shields are flickering,
  which seems to indicated that they are unable to transfer their
  shield power to differing sectors of the ship. If they are
  using a warp naccell for their main shield generator, then
  their power must be distributed evenly."
        "And our's doesn't," Riley replied with a grin. "Mister
  Tiber, transfer all shield power to the forward and port shield
  grid at my command. Standby photon torpedoes and phasers," he
  commanded.
        Tiber, eager to avenge the crews of the SARATOGA and
  HIENLEN, input the commands into the ship's computer.
  "Torpedoes and phasers are ready. Shield transfer at your
  command, sir."
        "Okay, Tiber," Riley cooly commanded, "put them off of
  our port side and bring us in."
 
        ~ENTERPRISE is coming for another attack run,~ Tonin
  announced as the enemy ship grew larger in their main viewer.
  ~Her shields are quite weak, and will not stand another torpedo
  hit. Recommend a close-range torpedo shot in the middle of
  their run,~ he offered.
        Sunak sat in his chair, not trusting his enemy. ~She's
  either commiting suicide, or she's got something up her
  sleeve,~ he commented to the air about him. ~Of course, her
  Captain does seem one to commit himself for self-sacrifice.~
        Rela looked up at her commander. ~Sir, perhaps they
  intend to detonate both of our vessels once they are in range,~
  she offered, not knowing Federation members as well as
  Romulans.
        ~I doubt it, Rela. Federation members value their lives
  too much,~ he countered. ~But, he does seem to be rather
  persistant, doesn't he? Watch your scanners carefully, Tonin.
  Their Captain is up to something, I'm sure of it.~
 
        The ENTERPRISE came slowly forward, awaiting the torpedo
  bolt that would inevitably come. "She's withholding fire,
  Captain," Tiber reported as the FIERY RAVEN's torpedo bay
  remained alit. "She's luring us in."
        "I know she is," Riley countered. "Just keep going. As
  soon as we start recieving fire, rechannel the shields and
  counter-attack."
        Then time itself seemed to crawl slowly forward as the
  FIERY RAVEN's daunting image grew larger on the bridge's main
  viewer. The seconds dragged into minutues. The minutes seemed
  like hours.
        "We are in torpedo range now, Captain," Tiber announced
  when his instrumentation chimed up.
        "Wait," Riley ordered, watching his screen. The RAVEN's
  image was larger than the viewer now. The giant battleships
  were within a mile of each-other, posing for the death dance
  one more.
        ~All hands brace for nearby explosion,~ Sunak ordered,
  bracing himself in his chair. ~Fire,~ he commanded when the
  ENTERPRISE markings became completely readable.
        The FIERY RAVEN launched the ball of fire nearly point
  blank, making Tiber compensate even before Riley could give the
  order. The ENTERPRISE's shields took the hit, but collapsed
  beyond the point of usability.
        "Fire," Riley commanded, seizing the opporunity as the
  FIERY RAVEN, failing her attempt at a quick victory, started to
  flee. The ENTERPRISE unleashed her last torpedo volley,
  dotting stripping the battleship's hull and fortified armor
  into scrap.
        "Fire," he ordered again, setting alife the ENTERPRIE's
  phaser banks. The red beams of destruction crashed into the
  FIERY RAVEN's naked hull.
 
        The bridge erupted into flame, being nearly missed by the
  ENTEPRRISE's lethal blow. Rela was thrown back, hard, into the
  rear panels of the ship. The all too familiar sound of air
  hissing from the hull into space filled the room.
        The fight, somehow, had gone to ENTERPRISE. ~Rela,~ Sunak
  cried as he righted himself. ~Tonin, get us out of here,
  maximum velocity across the Neutral Zone.~
        Gently, Sunak's powerful form lifted Rela's damaged body.
  ~Commander?~ she barely spoke through damaged lungs. ~Did we
  defeat the ENTERPRISE?~
        ~No, my love,~ he confessed painfully. ~We have beaten
  the Federation. The ENTERPRISE will come soon.~ He gently
  carried her form heading out of the bridge. ~Tonin, tell
  engineering that I don't care what lengths need be taken, but
  we must be able to destroy the ENTERPRISE this day.~
        ~Yes my lord,~ Tonin complied even as he led the FIERY
  RAVEN away from her better.
 
        "They're turning tail, Captain," Tiber announced with
  apparant glee. "Shall we pursue?"
        Riley sighed queitly, wiping the sweat from his brow.
  "Hell no, Lieutenant," he ordered with a mock. "Radio UNION and
  inform them of our situation. Tell them that we need the best
  repair crews we can get and to get the ship back together as
  soon as possible."
        Saavik looked concerned, knowing how hollow a victory
  this had been. "Then what do we do, sir?"
        "Then we set ourselves as bait," Riley answered
  matter-of-factly. "And let the FIERY RAVEN come to us for a
  change."
 
  CHAPTER FOURTEEN
 
        Matthews wasn't happy. In fact, he was absolutely
  depressed. Sure, the FIERY RAVEN did run away, severely beaten,
  but at the cost of sixteen lives thus far, and over fifty major
  injuries.
        Some of the injured were lucky, taking cuts and abrasions
  from shorting panels. Some were not. Deuce was one of the most
  unlucky ones. At least Riley had the decency to come down here
  and visit him, Matthews thought to himself as he tended other
  patients.
        Deuce had been near the starboard secondary hull when she
  blew. It had been his misfortune to be working on phaser
  coolant systems when the RAVEN's fearsome strike ripped away
  with her torpedo.
        The coolant covered his body, rendering much of it
  useless, and ravaging his vital organs. Riley knew that Deuce
  was on instruments now, and found it unlikely that he could
  even hear his Captain.
        "I've only known him for one week," Riley muttered in
  self-disgust. "He's going to die for knowing me, isn't he? Not
  much different than during Intel."
        Matthews said nothing, not really expecting the answer.
  Saavik, whom had seen fit to accompany her captain, had gently
  placed her hand on his shoulder. In one sense, Riley's innards
  were ripped apart as surely as Deuce's.
        Saavik couldn't bring herself to say anything, there
  wasn't much to say. Riley was brooding in the world between
  doubt and pity, trying to understand where things had gone
  wrong. Riley was doubting his ability to command, a doing a
  lousy job of hiding the fact.
        "Perhaps you should get some sleep," Saavik gently spoke,
  trying to calm him. "I know that you haven't since we left
  Konok with the ASSISTER," she continued, leaving Matthews to
  draw his own conclusions.
        But Riley said nothing in reply, instead standing calmly.
  "If there isn't a chance, then get him off the machine. He
  deserves a decent death, at least," Riley ordered out of some
  brotherly admiration for the young Ensign. "I'll inform his
  family personally when we get home."
        Riley then left, saying nothing more, and headed to speak
  with another person on his mind. Saavik and Matthews were left
  with numerous patients and medical staff.
        "It is not logical," Saavik admitted, "but I find myself
  wanting to help him."
        "Love does that, Commander," Matthews replied without
  thinking, causing Saavik to raise an eyebrow in protest. "I
  mean, it's natural to help someone in distress."
        Saavik, of course, knew what the comment meant, and
  wondered how obvious she had truly been.
 
        Grissom was forced to wear someone else's civilian
  clothes, as her quarters had been one of those sections
  destroyed by the FIERY RAVEN's attack. Still, she looked quite
  impressive in the blue sweater and jeans she had chosen, and
  didn't complain about the loss of her clothing.
        Again she was forced to take the role of the delegator,
  assigning tasks to others that she would rather be doing
  herself. Again, she was becoming quite bored.
        "Computer," she began with some hesitation. "Access all
  available records on Captain Thomas William Riley," she
  commanded, at but nervous at the prospect of reopening what was
  supposed to be a dead issue.
        "Access denied, Captain Riley's records have been
  temporarily removed from ENTERPRISE record banks," the answer
  came back. Grissom was quietly shocked at the blunt answer.
        "All records?" she asked in disbelief. "On whose
  authority?" she demanded, still a bit stunned.
        "Mine," came a grim voice. "I thought you were told to
  stay out of my records, Lieutenant," Riley grunted as he
  entered the engineering deck. "But I suppose that your
  curiosity would have got the best of you sometime."
        Grissom froze in terror. She had expected to get caught,
  but the almost evilly angry look in Riley's eyes pierced
  through her. She was helpless. "I'm sorry, sir," she panted. "I
  won't do it again, I swear."
        And then Riley through something at her, a sharp object
  flying through the air toward her neck. She flinched from it,
  but somehow her hand instinctively caught it.
        But it wasn't something meant to harm her. It was an
  emblem in the shape of an exotic bird, a huge black warbird,
  native to the planet Romulus. Grissom stared at it confused.
        "It is the rarest bird on Romulus," Riley explained,
  making certain that noone else was in the room or in earshot.
  "Translated, it is the Blackwing, the ultimate predator of the
  night. Flattering, really," he mused, still obviously angry but
  resigned, even relieved to talk to someone about long buried
  facts.
        "What does it mean?" Grissom innocently asked. "Is this
  yours, Captain?"
        Riley stroked it in Paula's shaking palm for a moment.
  "Actually, no, it isn't mine per se," he explained. "I'm not
  rightfully entitled to it, since I'm not a fullblood Romulan."
        Grissom's eyes went wide. "A fullblood Romulan?" she
  queried, extremely nervous at the prospect. "You're part
  Romulan?"
        Riley nodded, taking the only other seat in the room. "My
  father, whoever he is, served in the Romulan senate. From what
  I can gather he had a penchant for captive Human women. That
  explains me," he explained to Grissom's eager ears. "After that
  I was raised on Vulcan, and then enrolled in Star Fleet
  Intelligence. That's why my records are sealed."
        She gently laid the emblem on the desk in front of her.
  "I didn't know. I've just been," she hesitated, a bit
  frustrated by her inability to explain the need for her to know
  so much about him. "I've been curious about you. You're such an
  enigma to the whole ship."
        "Probably true," he confessed. "I haven't had much time
  to even meet the crew yet," he added with a bit of guilt. "And
  I've asked them all to trust their lives to me. Doesn't seem
  right, does it?"
        Grissom gave a sincere look of concern for her Captain.
  He was obviously worn, with his infamous rise to Captaincy,
  Ravis, and the subsequent battles with the IRON CLAW II and the
  FIERY RAVEN, he truly hadn't had the time to even relax.
  "Things have been hectic for everyone lately, Captain," she
  responded truthfully.
        Riley stood slowly. "The emblem's yours, Paula," he
  started. "Your first new decoration," he added with a tired
  smile. "I'll be in my quarters if anyone needs me. Also be sure
  that no one needs me."
        She took the hint. Her captain was going to sleep and
  didn't want to be bothered. She walked him walk away from her
  and into the hall, a bit more relaxed by him, and all the more
  nervous as well.
 
  CHAPTER FIFTEEN
 
        ~She's taken serious burn damage,~ the ship's doctor
  explained to Sunak as he brooded in his scorched quarters. ~Her
  lungs have been punctured, and with the sick bay severely
  damaged and understaffed, I'm not sure what we can do.~
        ~Understand, Doctor,~ Sunak's grim voice bellowed, ~that
  your life-span is directly linked to hers.~ The doctor didn't
  reply, scared for his life, and quietly left his Commander
  alone with his love.
        ~There's no need to threaten him,~ Rela managed through
  her wounds. ~It isn't his fault that I got torn up,~ she
  wornfully smiled.
        Sunak considered the honesty of the statement, but wasn't
  relieved. ~It's important to me that he devotes his attention
  to you,~ he quiety answered as he sat on the side of his bed.
  ~I can't stand the thought of anything happening to you.~
        ~Like getting my console in my face?~ she asked
  sardoncially. ~It's part of the job.~
        Sunak grimaced. ~Rela, please,~ he whispered, taking her
  hand into his. ~It pains me to see you in this much pain,~ he
  began slowly, pacing her words. ~I love you, Rela. In the past
  few days I've learned that nothing but you matters to me, not
  the RAVEN, not the Empire, not even my crew.~
        Rela looked up in disbelief. ~Commander?~ she queried
  with a smile.
        ~Sunak,~ he whispered, gently bending down to kiss her
  cheek. ~You're no longer under my command,~ he added. ~I was
  thinking of having you as my wife.~
        Rela's smile widened. ~Of course,~ she quickly agreed.
        ~Now, however,~ he began, ~I have one final mission to
  perform.~ He stood, looking through the viewport to that sector
  of space which housed his enemy.
        ~The ENTERPRISE?~ she asked. ~After all of this? We're
  going back.~
        ~After all this,~ Sunak smiled. ~That's precisely why we
  are going back. There is no home for us on Romulus,~ he
  finished, standing to leave. ~Our future, and our fate, lie
  with the ENTERPRISE.~
 
        Sunak took the command chair of the auxillary bridge. The
  secondary bridge had been neccessary, as the main bridge had
  been impossible to salvage after the ENTERPRISE attack.
        The aux-bridge was smaller than the main one, but no less
  functional. ~Sensory readings,~ he commanded to one of the
  replacement officers.
        ~ENTERPRISE is sitting in wait outside of the Neutral
  Zone,~ the young officer replied. ~The Federation carrier which
  had been escorting her has rejoined the main fleet.~
        ~And ENTERPRISE is exposed,~ Sunak replied with a bit of
  excitement. ~Are there any other vessels in close support?~
        ~There are none,~ the officer replied eagerly. ~The main
  fleet is now seven hours travel away. We will have three hours
  conflict time if we engage.~
        Sunak looked at the image of the ENTERPRISE with a sense
  of fate. ~Well then, what is our status?~ he asked quietly,
  knowing how much rode on that information.
        ~Our main torpedo is running at fifty percent
  capability,~ came the reply. ~Port side phasers are
  inoperative, but remaining phasers are fully functional.
  Shields are at twenty percent.~
        ~Better than I had expected,~ Sunak admitted. ~Very well,
  set course for the ENTERPRISE, maximum available speed.~
        The FIERY RAVEN once again, tattered and scarred as badly
  as she was, took to the stars, leaping into battle once more,
  one last time.
 

-- 

"Our crew's living quarters have left the ship."
			- Secundam Yto aboard the IRON CLAW II
Neale Davidson, another writer wanna-be. neale@mentor.cc.purdue.edu