“This is going to work.” Commander Park repeated the words out loud as she stood on the transporter pad. She wore a combat protective suit, her hands resting on the various scanning and sensor devices on her utility belt. Next to her was her friend and former commanding officer, Captain Wren Walton. Surrounding them was part of the Hazard Team assigned to the mission, along with several security officers. All were dressed in protective suits and wore the look of steely-eyed focus.

“It will work.” Walton gave her a side-eye of confidence as she spoke. We’re going to shut them down.” She turned to the transporter officer, “Status?”

The young man was working his console, “The combined attack is making progress – they’re getting close to weakening a portion of the shields – Lieutenant Prentice reports five minutes or less.”

Park swallowed. Turning over command to William Prentice had been the hardest thing she’d done. She hadn’t been sure why it had given her trouble leading up to the moment. It became clear that she’d become connected to the Nova, and giving that up, even temporarily, gave her pause. She locked eyes with the science officers who stood on the floor. They were next up and would follow behind once they made a space at the station.

Lieutenant Hazel Wallaker from Walton’s ship, the Perseverance, looked ready to fight anyone who got in her way. From what Wren had to say about her, she was a feisty officer who wasn’t afraid to get tough when needed. Park glanced at the next one in line, Ensign Lita Morrison from the Zephyr. She had been on the Dragonfly with Captain Pantuso, rising to the top with her solid science work that had set her apart from others. She could sense her nerves from here. Lieutenant Sadie Fowler was next, and Park felt a smile cross her lips. Fowler had started shaky when she’d transitioned to Fourth Fleet back in the day. Her confidence had risen and shown her to be a capable officer. The last one in line was the mystery – A Vulcan from the Ambassador class USS Franklin D. Roosevelt.

The transporter officer broke her reflection, “Commander – we’re nearly ready.”

Those gathered on the pad stood at attention while the hazard team and security officers unholstered their weapons. The sound of impacts on the Nova increased in volume, and the deck shook slightly. Park’s teeth set on edge. Prentice knew what he was doing, she told herself. He would keep the ship together in her absence. Those on the floor below them readied themselves to run up and take their places.

“Energizing!”

The world vanished in a bright flash of white, fading away seconds later to reveal a large grey corridor and the rumbling hum of the station beating a haunting baseline rhythm. They all moved quickly, spreading out to make room for the next batch of teams to arrive. In just under a minute, everyone was aboard.

Walton slipped out her tricorder, mapping out the station quickly from scans and the sensors they carried with them, “Let’s move! Hazard and security teams in formation.” They pushed forward as alarms began to sound. Park flinched as blasts of phasers erupted around them. The combined protective team wasn’t hesitating – the surprised Vaadwaur attempted a strong push, but the screams, followed by bodies hitting the floor, gave them pause as they retreated, attempting to reorganize and attack again. Wren spoke quickly, “The command center is down those stairs and across three more corridors. Transmitting pathing…now. Hazard Team lead, forward.” Park focused on those immediately around her and ignored the chaos beyond those few feet.

The fire intensified around them, and Park kept her head on a swivel, watching as the protective circle held as the methodically trained team escorted them through the corridors as the Vaadwaur continued to attempt to slow them down. Blaster fire was now going wild as the enemy attempted to shoot around the protective barrier with little success. Walton’s focus remained as she directed them down the stairs and around the tight corner. Still more Vaadwaur attempted to come up from behind them, only to run up against severe phasers in hand and rifle form. Park felt like she could see the vestiges of panic in the eyes of the Vaadwaur as they threw themselves against the Starfleet team. The armor the team was wearing took most of the errant blasts.

Suddenly, they were running, and the warmth from the weapons fire flooded into a heavy heat as they assaulted the command center. Park felt herself being dragged to the ground as phaser fire passed above her, singeing the edges of her hair. She watched several Vaadwaur bodies hit the deck, breath hissing as their eyes went listless and wide. Shouts of status and progress filled the air as more bodies hit the ground, a morbid musical rhythm playing across the deck.

“We’re clear. Secure the doors.” Wren’s voice broke out in the immediate silence, and Park looked up as her friend reached an arm out, pulling her up. “Let’s get to work – I don’t know how much time we have.”

Park looked around for the first time. She counted fifteen Vaadwaur bodies on the ground, dead. A lone Hazard Team officer was being tended to, his face tightened in a grimace as the armor was removed carefully. Several burns marked his chest.

“Commander?” It was the voice of Sadie Fowler, and Park shook the distractions loose. The other science officers were working frantically to gather what they could. “I think we can reverse the polarity…and even get this thing to blow itself up.” She traced her thought process on the screen.

A smile finally found purchase on Park’s lips as she realized what Fowler was thinking. “We hardwire it into the shield systems…so that every shot creates a growing feedback loop until it overloads the power distribution network, shorts out the transmitter…and takes out each piece with every single attack. Start the process while we get the data.” She walked over to Wren, who was watching the two doors on either side of the room with interest – the sounds of weapons fire were growing stronger. “We’ve got a plan to take this thing out. How long do we have?”

Walton checked her tricorder, “Seven minutes or less. Emphasis on less.”

Park walked from officer to officer as they worked on the data banks. “Ensign Morrison?”

Lita’s eyes were focused on the screen and console, “There’s a lot here, Commander. I’m pulling it as quickly as I can. Schematics for larger systems, more offensive platforms…and a lot of plans for killing and subjugating us and the rest of the universe.” She chuckled, “All the traditional Vaadwaur trappings.” The deck shuddered, “I think the Vaadwaur are starting to target the station.” Park glanced at Walton, and there was worry in her eyes.

Lieutenant Hazel Wallaker spoke up from the console she was working on. “Captain Walton—they’re starting to target power systems.” The deck shook again. “They’re ignoring our ships. Station shields are at 70%.” The deck shuddered again. “65%.”

Walton’s eyes narrowed. “Fowler – how long until you can hard-code and wire it?”

Park returned to Fowler’s side as the woman answered, “Two minutes – if I get help…sooner.” She nodded as Park slid into the console next to her. The Vulcan, Lieutenant Vlokar, arrived, and his hands moved quickly on another console. Park watched as he did a quick calculation in his head, ducked down, and ripped off a console cover, going to work.

Walton warned, “Once this kicks off, we’re going to need to be ready to run. Park – warn all of our ships – lock on to us and be ready to transport…we won’t have much time to wait.” Another shake of the deck nearly sent them to the ground. Park went to work sending messages. The air around her had tightened, and pressure was starting to be felt.

Wallaker’s voice was strained, concern heavy in her next report, “Shields at 55%.”

Everyone in the command center gathered while the science officers finished their work. Fowler tapped the final commands, “Programming locked.”

A spark and a grunt of annoyance emanated from beneath the console, and Vlokar jumped up. “It is hard-wired.”

Park felt Walton’s eyes on her, along with everyone else’s. “They’ve got a lock on us…waiting for a shield opening.” She didn’t say, ‘or shield failure.’ Panic would do no good in the moment. The deck rumbled and rolled as the feedback power loop began to run wild across the station. Sounds of explosions and destruction began to echo. Smoke started to filter in as the power system was fed its own bitter medicine.

Suddenly, the whine of transporters washed over most of the group, and the brightness faded. Park and Walton glanced at each other. Wren gulped, “Shit.”

“Prentice to Park – they’re starting to focus a little more on us out here – we’re going to break free and make a run for you. Looks like some of the Vaadwaur are coming back to you – they know you were working the command center…get moving! We’ll pick you up in a sec.” The channel closed.

Park and Walton scurried from the command center into a hall of fire and debris as the station began to reverse all weapons fire and power systems back onto itself. Walton led her former XO skittering down the hallway as the deck shook from incoming fire. The doors to the command center closed, and there was a roaring explosion. The doors began to pull inwards. Walton shouted, “We gotta keep going!”

Park slammed her badge as they ran, ducking exploding lights and holding onto walls. “Park to Prentice – it’s been a second!” They rushed down a bank of stairs as the deck behind them began to crack, and soon buckled in a shower of blazing fire and flying debris. Park’s heart was thundering into panic as she fought to remain in control. A panic attack while the station collapsed around them would get them no closer to rescue. The air around them was acrid, and the smell of burning flesh reached Park’s nose. Her gag reflex kicked in, but she pressed on.

She held desperately onto the hands of Walton as they scurried, the fire-dotted deck beneath their feet starting to crack, the crunch of deck plates smashing against each other an unsettling sound. They mounted another stairwell and ran straight into a collapsed wall, thick black smoke filtering through the small cracks. Park tapped her badge, “Park to Prentice!” The roar of the fires, repeating explosions, and crashing of weapons fire drowned out his response. She hugged her friend, shouting, “This is not how I imagined this ending!” Walton’s face was, for once, pure terror as quiet tears began to fall from her eyes. They embraced tightly as the station continued to fall apart around them until a resounding thump signaled the hull near them had broken loose.

Suddenly, there was a whipping wind all around them. Park clung to Walton as time seemed to slow—they were spinning out of the ship and towards an expansive darkness. Her lungs began to ache…and there was a growing bright white light as her eyes slammed shut.

She landed roughly on the transporter pad, Walton coughing in her arms. She looked up. She was back home. She untangled from Walton and stood shakily, pointing a daring finger at Lieutenant Ada Josephs, “Have one of your people follow me, Ada. See to Captain Walton – I need to get to the bridge.” She stared down the Chief Medical Officer, an old friend. They’d had their share of standoffs in the past.

Josephs growled. “Michaelson, follow her with the kit. If she so much as stumbles, hypospray her ass.”

Park gave her a thankful look, rushed out the door, and headed for the bridge. She told the nurse who doggedly pursued her, “She meant that figuratively, not literally.”   Michaelson did not smile in reply and kept both her eyes glued to Park. They got to a turbolift and stepped in.  Park leaned against the wall as the lift hurtled upwards.  “I’m doing OK.”  She watched as the nurse kept her medical tricorder out and scanning, her eyes never leaving Park.

The doors flew open seconds later. Park staggered to the chair and smiled at William Prentice’s wide-eyed look as he jumped up and backed away, “Take the helm, Mr. Prentice…we need to get out of here.” A glance at Michaelson, “Start your exam… adrenaline will only get me so far. Prentice?”

His hands moved fast, “I have a way out. Sensors, warp, and communications are coming back online.” The ship shook as the image of the station breaking apart in a fireball filled the screen.

Park smiled as the pain began to build. “Good riddance. Let’s go home.”

The Nova dodged the incoming fire and took off at a breakneck pace for the aperture, leaving behind a growing mountain of debris as the station was no longer.

Across the systems and sectors, sensors suddenly cleared. Dormant communications channels awoke as if from a deep sleep. Red-coded engineering displays went yellow…and then green.

A great chorus of voices reached out across the rimward with questions.

The replies started slow and built into their own excited and relieved chorus.