The stench of sterilizing agents barely masked the metallic tang of blood. Sickbay was a battlefield in its own right, the biobeds filled with groaning, wounded officers, others sat or lay on the floor. At least three were covered completely in blankets… likely dead. Commander Rax lay unconscious, his Bolian skin more red and purple than blue. The overhead lights flickered as another explosion rocked outside the Vallejo on the base, sending equipment clattering to the floor. Dr. Pell barely flinched, her thick fingers moving with unwavering precision as she pressed a vascular regenerator against the gaping wound in Day’s side.

“You’re bleeding internally, Captain. If you don’t let me stabilize you, you’ll go into shock within the hour.” Pell’s tone left no room for argument, yet she already knew what was coming. She had seen too many officers die from neglecting their injuries, and she wasn’t about to let that happen to Day. Her hands moved methodically, but her mind was already racing, trying to figure out how much time they had before it was too late.

Day winced as she shifted against Cadet Ryan, still supporting her weight, her uniform stained with her own blood. “That’s not an option.” She tapped her combadge, her voice hoarse but commanding. “Day to Bridge. Status?”

Mehta’s voice came through, calm despite the chaos. “Glad to hear your voice, Captain. Weapons are gone, there are limited impulse engines, and the port nacelle is destroyed. Engineering is working to bring warp drive online, but there’s new tech tapped into it that we don’t fully understand yet. Thirteen crew members are confirmed dead, and we’re still assessing the damage. Secondary explosions are destabilizing the base. We need to move now or risk being caught in the collapse.”

“Understood. Stand by.” She turned back to Pell. “Patch me up enough to function. That’s an order.”

The Tellarite physician grunted. “Stubborn as a Nausicaan with a grudge.” But she worked fast, injecting a stabilizing compound into Day’s bloodstream. “This will keep you on your feet… for now. But if you rupture again mid-transport, don’t blame me when you wake up in a stasis pod.”

Day pushed herself upright, ignoring the agony in her ribs. “Noted.” Day gritted her teeth, fighting back the nausea that threatened to overwhelm her. She couldn’t afford to succumb to the pain… not now. She tapped her combadge. “Day to Anari. Beam myself and Cadet Ryan to the bridge. Now.”

Her voice was strained, but it held the same steely authority that had guided her through countless crises before. No matter how badly she was hurt, the mission came first.

“Captain…” Pell started.

Day cut her off. “Take care of the crew.”

As the transporter beam enveloped her, the last thing she saw was Nurse Torel with Jorath, working frantically to treat the beaten and bloodied Deltan.

___________________________________

As Day and Ryan materialized, the bridge was alive with flashing consoles and frantic voices. The ship shuddered under another impact. Lieutenant Amir’s hands flew over the helm controls, his face set in concentration. “We’re moving, Captain, but we’re still only at one-tenth impulse. That’s all we can get out of the engines right now.”

Kellan had taken over OPS, her fingers dancing over the console. “Base weapons are still active. The other ships in the hangar are starting to power up.”

Now that Day was supported by her command chair, Ryan had assumed the tactical station. “Captain, phasers are completely destroyed, and all torpedo launches are inoperable. We can’t even eject them manually like mines.”

Day braced against her chair, forcing herself to focus through the pain. “Listen up! There’s a Tetryon bomb onboard, and it’s been tapped into our warp core. If we transport it, we risk a cascade failure.” Day said tapping her combadge, “Valis, can we do this safely?”

Asha’s hands flew over the console. “Scanning… I have a lock on it.” Valis’s voice came through the comm, tight with concern. “Transporting it is possible, but risky. We’ll need to carefully isolate its energy feed from the core to prevent a feedback surge.”

Day nodded. “Do it. Isolate the energy feed, then beam it into the hangar bay directly behind us, block our path.” Turning to her stalwart first officer, “Commander, status of the Sequoia?”

Commander Mehta responded with a tight voice. “It’s just outside the exterior hangar door of the station. We used it to blast through the exterior doors remotely, but a shuttle will be no match for these other ships.”

Ryan’s eyes narrowed as he considered the situation. “Captain, once we’re clear, we can overload the shuttle’s warp core and send it straight into the bomb. That should be enough to detonate it, and take them all with it!”

Day’s mind raced as she took in the situation. “Kellan, beam the bomb behind us, now!”

Kellan began to activate the sequence on her console, but before she could complete the task, a sudden flash of blinding purple light outside the ship exploded through the viewscreen. One of the Dominion attack fighters had powered up and fired a Polarian beam at them. The ship lurched under the impact, sparks flying from several consoles as the crew struggled to hold their positions.

“What little shields we have are failing!” Kellan shouted, her voice strained. “I can’t stabilize them!”

“Status on the shuttle?” Day demanded, bracing herself against the pain in her side.

Ryan was already working at the tactical console, his fingers working in swift motions. “I’ve got control of the shuttle remotely, Captain. Initiating overload sequence now.” His eyes flicked up to the viewscreen as another Dominion fighter powered up its weapons, targeting them.

“We’re going to take another hit,” Kellan warned, her voice filled with alarm.

Before Day could respond, the ship was struck again. The hull groaned in protest as another explosion rocked the Vallejo. Systems flickered, and a loud alarm blared as the bridge filled with the smell of burned isolinear chips.

Mehta gently helped Day back into the chair as another explosion shook the ship.

“We need warp!” Amir yelled, sweat trickling down his forehead.

“Hold it together, Lieutenant!” Day barked, her voice cutting through the chaos. “Kellan, is the bomb behind us yet?”

“Almost there, Captain!” Kellan’s hands raced across the console. “Done… four hundred meters behind us!”

“Clearing outer hanger door.” Amir announced.

“Valis, status on the warp drive?” Day asked, barely holding on.

There was a brief pause before Valis’s voice came over the comm, calm but strained. “Warp drive online… with only our port nacelle I can give you warp 1.275, Captain.”

Day gritted her teeth, her heart pounding. “That’s all we need. Amir, get us moving… warp speed now!”

“Captain, what about the shuttle?” Ryan’s voice cut in, focused and steady.

“Detonate the bomb, now! No time to get clear.” Day ordered.

With a final press of a button, Ryan initiated the overload sequence and remote pilot course, sending the shuttle’s warp core into a deadly collision course with the Tetryon bomb. The ship lurched violently forward as the shuttle’s energy surged, its power building in a deafening crescendo. Then…

The explosion tore through the fabric of space. A blinding flash of light engulfed the area, turning the stars themselves to smoke and shadow for an instant.

The shockwave hit the Vallejo like a physical blow, rattling the hull with a deep, bone-shaking tremor. Every bulkhead groaned as the ship was rocked by the force of the blast. Sparks erupted from consoles, and the lights flickered ominously, threatening to plunge them all into darkness. Crew members were thrown from their feet, struggling to maintain control as the ship’s systems fought to stay online against the onslaught.

The ship… already battered and on the edge groaned in protest, but it held, a testament to the crew’s survival instinct.

“Aft on the viewscreen!” Day ordered, once again being helped to her feet.

Brilliant explosions occurred behind the Vallejo, and what was left of the base was consumed in the Tetryon cascade which Kaela Orin intended for DS47.

“We’re clear, Captain!” Amir shouted. “Warp 1.275 and holding steady.”

“Kellan?” Day turned to the OPS station, clearly ready to drop from exhaustion, her injuries, or both.

Asha’s face was unreadable as she studied her console. “The asteroid base is destroyed, not detecting any ships in pursuit, but… sensors detected two Hideki-class ships and one Chel Grett-class cruiser escaping the area just before detonation. They quickly cloaked, but it looked like they were heading in the opposite direction.”

Day exhaled slowly, wiping a strand of blood-matted hair from her face. “Set course for Deep Space 47. Once we’re clear of the nebu…”

Captain Day’s vision blurred, her world spinning as the pain in her side intensified, radiating through every fiber of her being. The strain of holding herself upright, coupled with her injuries, made her body feel like it was slowly failing her. Her breaths came in shallow gasps, each one harder than the last.

She gripped the arms of her command chair, her knuckles white, but the effort to stay conscious became too much. Her head swam, her heartbeat pounding in her ears like a drumbeat that grew louder with each passing moment. The weight of the battle, her injuries, and the loss of her crew members… all of it collided within her.

Then, the world around her tilted sharply. The last thing she saw was Mehta’s concerned face, just before her vision faded to black and her body gave way.

“Captain!” Mehta’s voice cut through the haze, urgent.

Ryan was already by her side, catching her before she slumped further. Though her breathing was shallow, she surrendered to the exhaustion, pain, and the toll of the battle.