As the nighttime approaches towards the Vaadwaur detention complex, it was part of a repurposed industrial hub, there were heavy smokes of the people working in the workspaces, floodlights that were scanning the area more with intend. Patrols marching from one point to another. K’Nala eyes pierce through the darkness, she leads the rescue with the remaining cadets that stayed with her.

Time was running out, this action meant that when they were able to get Rhixa, they had to exit the planet as soon as possible. Rushing through the underground maintenance tunnels, they manage to breach the facility perimeters due to lack of attending the details on the building’s structure by the enemy. A slight advantage that K’Nala could use.

Alara and Eli disable on each side the power to the outer grid, Verrik had his focus on the tricorder to create fake transmissions to draw the patrols away from their locations. K’Nala focus was on point, but she was proud of her cadets that they were to manage to work so well under the sheer amount of pressure that was laid on them. But then again, this was their only shot.

Pushing forward, controlled, focus and trained to take out any enemy that stood in their way. They quickly manage to find Rhixa, restrained and injured, in the harsh interrogation chamber. Alara swallows, seeing her friend in the chair, head hanging, blood on her uniform, cuts on her arms. She slides quickly to Rhixa side and cuts her loose from he restrains. A quiet moment of relief as the alert was triggered “We need to get out” As Liss and Eli places their supportive hands under Rhixa who groans in pain.

The team move out of the room as a clap caught their attention and both Alara and Shaari on the outside looking. They saw a Vaadwaur commander clapping, with his elite guards and a wicked smile on his face, “Impressive, noble and yet foolish. You fight for the dream, so young and so brave. Yet I fight for history, glory to my supremacy” He raised his pistol and fired without warning.

Both Alara and Shaari followed the beam, meeting each other eyes. Shocked and surprised as they continue to turn their head as they saw their Lieutenant, their dean. K’Nala drop to the ground, “Lieutenant!” They both yelled.

Alara quickly grabs her dean phaser and looked at the Vaadwaur. Seeing a cold smile as he instructs with a single wave of his hand for his soldiers to move and take care of the problem. “You bastard!” Alara opened fire as the other cadets followed the example.

With a groan Rhixa shields Liss “Focus on the Lieutenant” She grumbles, Rhixa saw the situation go south, she was the bait and they bite.

Eli and Verrik take cover, trying to disable quickly the drone system that the enemy put into motion against them. “These bastards are skilled” Eli lets out a curse, tapping his PADD trying to hack into the main system as the drones started their fires with the backing of the enemy soldiers.

A single blast was shot in the direction of Eli, he was too late to respond, time slowed down for him as the large light came his direction. His pupils widen, his breath quicken and then Shaari jumps in front of him taking the full-blown hit, dropping to the ground “SHAARI!” Eli yelled, looking at him as he saw the light fade away from his friend.

Both Alara and Jorven take out the enemy with the moves they learned from the academy, but also from their dean that was now on the ground. The commander grabs the foot of Alara to attempt to strike him, and throws her to the side into the wall. Heavy smoke was surrounding the area as the firefight turned into a fierce melee brawl. The cadets were no match for the experience Vaadwaur, but it made him look impressed as the drones dropped out of the sky and saw Eli lunge at him “Puny bug”.

Eli gets kicked in his stomach and received an uppercut that makes him fly backwards onto the cold ground. The commander smiled looking at Rhixa that was bruised, weaken and a perfect target. “Time to die, cadet” Jorven tried to shield her, but with a smooth move the commander grabbed him into a lock and the loud crack as Rhixa eyes followed the lifeless body of her friend drop the ground “No…no”

“Don’t worry child, you will be next” The commander walked in a motion to the stunned Rhixa.

But K’Nala rises behind him, wounded yet brought back by the help of Liss, her eyes feral. With a growl and a deep Caitian roar, K’Nala lunges and disarms the Commander. A jump and her foot hit the side of the commander’s neck as the brute force makes him fly against the wall. The surprise strike had given K’Nala the upper hand, but silence falls, blood on the floor, rain pours. Heavy breathing echoes in the room, the cadets staring at each other.

USS Eclipse

The cadets disperse into the bridge as Threx stands up seeing his classmates walk into the room, but their defeated eyes told a story that was not being said out loud, until “Where Jorven and Shaari?” He saw the painful expression on each of them as they get to their stations.

“Get to yourrr stations, Computerrr powerrr up engines. Thrrrex sit down, we need to get out” K’Nala sat down at her helm as she saw the console coming alive after the confirmation from the computer. She noticed a power drainage, “Verrik, Eli power conduit”.

The two rushes to the relays and start repairing it as the Eclipse shields flicker. The Vaadwaur have noticed them. The ship moves away, deeper into the asteroid field, deeper to the last known location of the Underspace raw force. K’Nala barely contained her pain, but she focuses on the navigation controls, “Hold on!” The Eclipse disappears into the orange flow known as the Underspace.

Few days later…

Space around the Eclipse was quiet, as it drifted through its endless tunnels, paths and dangers. Awaiting for any sign of reconnection from Starfleet. Alara sat silent at the tactical. Rhixa walks in, her limp had improved and in her hand she held the badges of both Shaari and Jorven.

K’Nala sits in the Captain’s chair, an unwelcoming feeling for her, but she had to. She had her tail around her, her chest and arm in bandages. Hefaam stood there after a deep council session with Liss. This team, group or even class of cadets had endured, something horrific and lost loved ones.

Taking a deep breath “We were cadets” Rhixa whispers looking at the badges as she laid them onto the console “But after this, we’re not anymore” The Eclipse flashes as it breaks through the barrier and enters at the side of the Grim Wall. In the distance they saw Hecate Station, surrounded still by so many ships. As Kusanagi and Gemini move to intercept.