The captured Vaadwaur patrol ship entered the Underspace tunnel and followed a preset course in its navigation system. Captain Skyrunner sat in the ship’s command seat while Aximo took over the weapons console. Flummox and his engineers were in the engine room, keeping systems online. Lieutenant Jones, the Carlsbad’s Junior Chief of Security, was briefing his officers and Vera, who in turn was relaying the information to the five hundred tactical drones they brought.

“Captain, we are on course to the outpost station. ETA is five minutes,” Aximo reported. “The chasing ship is firing on us. We are returning fire.”

A Borg Probe class scout ship was pursuing the captured Vaadwaur patrol ship, firing low energy ‘pot shots’ at the Vaadwaur ship. Only damage that was being done was enough to burn the outer hull. The Vaadwaur ship was returning fire, with low energy polaron beams.

“Looking good. Now send an audio only distress call. Let’s set the bait,” Captain Skyrunner ordered.

Aximo nodded acknowledgement and sent out an audio distress call.

“We are receiving a response Captain.”

The Vaadwaur officer spoke over the ship’s communication system. “Vaadwaur patrol ship, we have received your distress signal. Stay on course for Outpost 72 and dock with the station for repairs.”

“Acknowledge the signal Aximo and set a course to dock with the station. Activate the life sign masking units on all personnel. Tell Vera to stand by,” ordered Kirok.

The damaged patrol ship flew past another patrol ship that was heading out to intercept the Probe scout ship, which had broken off its attack and retreated. The defending patrol ship turned around and escorted the damaged ‘Trojan horse’ to the Vaadwaur Blackout station. The captured Vaadwaur patrol ship docked with the station.

Captain Skyrunner looked at Aximo. “That was the easy part. Vera, can you interface with the station’s computers without alerting them?”

“I will try Captain,” Vera replied, typing away at her console.

Kirok stood still, watching Vera work. He knows now it is just a waiting game. He has to wait for the main prong to show up and engage.

***

Captain Sophia Rodriguez sat in the command chair, staring at the viewscreen, waiting for the Probe scout ship to emerge from Underspace. The other Borg ships have formed up behind the USS Carlsbad, ready to attack.

Lieutenant Commander Soraya Amara reported from her science station. “Underspace aperture opening Captain.”

“On screen,” Sophia said.

The viewscreen changed from an empty star field to a glowing, orange colored swirl of light and energy. The Borg scout ship emerged from the opening, then it closed behind it. Sophia felt a little relieved that the scout returned with the sensor data they needed. The scout ship took position next to the USS Carlsbad and immediately uploaded its sensor logs to the USS Carlsbad’s computers.

“Put the sensor logs data on the viewscreen Amara please,” Sophia asked.

The tactical scan data popped up, showing what defenses were around the Vaadwaur station. Sophia’s heart sank as she read the information.

“Captain, there is one Gaul-class Juggernaut, named K’rhyn’s Fury, two Astika-class Heavy Battlecruisers, and one Manasa-class Assault Escort. Intelligence reports say that the Gaul has 16 Pythus-class Fighters. The Astika class Battlecruisers carry six fighters each. All Vaadwaur ship’s are heavily armed with polaron beam emitters and quantum torpedoes,” Amara reported, without emotion in her voice, knowing what was coming.

Bradley looked at his console. “Captain, Kaelara is hailing us.”

Sophia replied, “on screen.”

Kaelara popped up on the main viewscreen. “Captain Rodriguez, I have analyzed the scan data from the scout ship. There is still a strong chance of us surviving this. You are in command, Captain.”

Sophia set her face to an icy determination. “Red Alert! All hands to Battlestations!”

The red alert klaxons went off as the courageous crew of the USS Carlsbad went to their combat stations. Kaelara smiled at the determination that Sophia was showing.

“Follow us in Kaelara. Time to go save my husband and the Federation,” Sophia said. “Carlsbad out.”

The viewscreen changed back to an empty starfield. Sophia looked at Amara. “Amara, activate the Underspace aperture.”

Amara tapped on her console and seconds later, the Underspace aperture opened in front of them.

“Auxiliary power to the shields. One half impulse helm. Take us in,” Captain Rodriguez ordered.

The USS Carlsbad moved forward towards the open aperture and slid past it, into an Underspace tunnel. The Borg ships followed suit. The Carlsbad turned and headed to the Blackout station, at full impulse. All eight ships flew in a bunch formation.

“ETA until we arrive at the station,” Sophia asked.

“Seven minutes,” Ensign Nguyen replied from the helm station.

Sophia glanced at Bradley. “Signal Kaelara to have the Cube and the Sphere go after the closest of the two battlecruisers. The Carlsbad and the Type IV’S will take out the lone patrol ship first. It is the fastest of the ships and first to be encountered. Probe scouts will have to screen us from the 30 fighters they have.”

Bradley nodded acknowledgement and sent the message. Seconds later, Bradley for an acknowledgement from Kaelara.

“Kaelara said they understand and are ready, Captain,” Bradley reported.

Captain Rodriguez looked at the viewscreen, knowing it is a waiting game now.

***

Captain Skyrunner and his infiltration team, minus the drones, had managed to gain access into the station with ease and had not run into any Vaadwaur troops or crew. Kirok led them into what looked like a computer core access station in an auxiliary command station. Kirok had his security team guarding the closed door while Aximo, Vera, Flummox, and himself started looking through the room.

“Vera, can you gain access to the main computers through here,” Kirok asked.

Vera walked over, looking at the computer station, then at Kirok. She sat down at a terminal and plugged into the computer.

“I can try sir,” she said.

“Flummox, have your people start finding whatever is causing the Blackout effect,” Kirok said.

“Yes, sir,” Flummox said.

Suddenly, the station’s alarms went off. Kirok looked at Vera, a concerned look on his face. She saw his look, shook her head. She started to access the computer.

“The station is on high alert due to an incoming attack. That is why there is hardly anyone on board the station,” Vera said.

Kirok thought it over. “Flummox, I need you to take over what Vera is doing. Vera, you and Aximo come with me. Let’s get to the main command center while the Vaadwaur are distracted. You two,” Kirok pointed at two security guards,” stay here and cover the engineering team. The rest are with me.”

Kirok quietly led the team further down a corridor, to an auxiliary conduit with a built in ladder. Kirok leads them up the ladder, avoiding any chance encounters with the Vaadwaur crew. Kirok got an idea.

“Aximo, can those drones transport through ship shields?”

Aximo replied. “Yes, sir. They can. Are you thinking of transporting the drones onto the Gaul class ship out there? That is what I would do.”

“Great minds think alike. Do it please. We should be getting close to the command center.”

The team stopped for a breather, since they climbed twenty stories. Aximo entered commands into his PADD. Aximo looked at Kirok, nodding. Kirok smiled.

“Let’s rest here for a minute before resuming,” Kirok suggested.

***

The Carlsbad got rocked by a quantum torpedo from the Vaadwaur patrol ship they were pursuing. The two Type IV’S were on its flanks, covering the USS Carlsbad, from the 12 fighters that both Battlecruisers launched.

“Damage report!” Captain Rodriguez shouted over the blaring klaxon alarms.

“Direct hit on our starboard nacelle pylon. Plasma conduits blew on deck 7. Shields are down to 60%.,” reported Bradley, a small stream of blood running down his face.

“Status on the Borg ships? And the Vaadwaur ships?” Sophia said, holding tight as the ship got hit with polaron weapons fire.

“The Cube and Sphere are still engaging with both Battlecruisers. All four ships are taking heavy damage. The Type IV’S are still with us, but taking a beating. One has significant hull damage where it took a volley of torpedoes for us. The lone Vaadwaur patrol ship has just been destroyed. The Gaul class ship seems to just be sitting there. Shields are down and its weapons are offline.”

Sophia laughed a little at that. “Leave it to my husband to cause chaos. Helm, hard over, swing around to assist the Sphere. Attack pattern Rodriguez Alpha 2. All weapons, fire at will!”

The USS Carlsbad, with both Type IV’s, all swung around and headed for the Sphere. The Carlsbad and both its escorts split off, charging at the heavily damaged Vaadwaur battlecruiser that was engaged with the Sphere. Carlsbad and its escorts fired all weapons, pounding on the forward sections, taking out its weapons and shields facing them. Borg disruptor beams were carving the battlecruiser up like a roast, as the Sphere launched torpedoes at the other battlecruiser. The Carlsbad, with both of its escorts, flew down the length of the battlecruiser, phasers firing away. Purple polaron beams hit the USS Carlsbad and the escorts. One of the escorting Type IV’S exploded from another volley of torpedoes. The explosion shockwave bashed the USS Carlsbad into the other Type IV, which also exploded from the collision.

“Shields are down, Captain! We lost both escorts!” Bradley yelled from his console.

“Helm, turn us around and stay on that battlecruiser’s ass. Weapons, smoke them,” Sophia yelled.

The USS Carlsbad turned around, smoke billowing from her starboard nacelle pylon as she continued to take damage. Her saucer section resembled a child’s “connect the dots” puzzle, with polaron energy burn marks scarring the hull and the occasional breach from a torpedo hit. Despite the damage, the Carlsbad remained combat-effective, her phasers relentlessly chewing up the battlecruiser’s armor and engines, drilling deep holes into the ship’s vulnerable systems.

The battlecruiser, its massive hull looming large on the viewscreen, shuddered under the onslaught. Captain Rodriguez watched in grim satisfaction as the Carlsbad’s precise phaser blasts ripped through the enemy ship’s armor and hull plating. Suddenly, a massive internal explosion rocked the battlecruiser, breaching its dorsal hull at mid-length. A plume of flame and debris erupted into space, casting a brief, fiery glow over the Carlsbad’s saucer section.

“Evasive starboard now! That ship is blowing up.”

The USS Carlsbad banked hard to starboard, her inertial dampeners struggling to compensate for the sharp turn. The ship shuddered and groaned, protesting the stress, but she responded swiftly to the helm commands. The Vaadwaur battlecruiser’s power plant, critically damaged from the USS Carlsbad’s precise phaser strikes, reached a catastrophic tipping point.

In a blinding flash, the battlecruiser’s power plant exploded, unleashing a maelstrom of energy and debris. The USS Carlsbad narrowly avoided the worst of the blast, her shields glowing with absorbed energy as she cleared the danger zone. However, the explosion’s impact didn’t end there. Chunks of the battlecruiser’s hull, superheated and hurtling through space, slammed into its sister cruiser with devastating force.

The impact ignited a chain reaction, and the second battlecruiser’s own power plant went critical. A massive explosion ripped through the ship, consuming it from within. The blast wave and debris cloud expanded rapidly, casting a brief, fiery glow over the surrounding space. The USS Carlsbad emerged from the chaos, her hull scarred but still intact, her systems humming with determination, as she prepared for the next phase of the battle.

***

Captain Skyrunner and his infiltration team managed to reach the command center with no resistance.

“That’s odd. No one is on the station at all,” Kirok asked.

Vera walked to a console and hacked into the command systems. Kirok and Aximo both walked around, looking over the consoles. They kept seeing the same flashing red symbol on every screen. Vera sharply looked up at them.

“The station is on auto destruct. That is why we encountered no one.”

“Shit! Can you stop it Vera,” Kirok and Aximo walked over to where she was sitting.

“I can try, Captain, “ she replied.

Kirok tapped his comm badge. “Kirok to Flummox, the station is set to self-destruct. See if you can stop it.”

Vera tapped several keys on the console and the alien verbal warning message changed to Federation Standard.

“Warning…station self destruction in two minutes!”

Aximo asked Vera, “did the drones assimilate the whole crew of that Gaul class monster, including command crew?”

Vera looked at him. “Yes, they did. I’m accessing the drones systems for the command codes to deactivate the auto destruct.”

“Warning…station self destruction in one minute thirty seconds!”

“Vera?”

“Almost…”

“Warning…station self destruction in thirty seconds!”

“Got it…inputting the command codes now!”

Vera’s fingers flew over the computer console.

“Warning…station self destruction in five seconds…four…three…self destruction aborted!”

“I have direct control of the whole station, Captain,” Vera reported happily. “I also have access to the Blackout effect that the Vaadwaur use.”

“Excellent work Vera,” Kirok said. “I think we should hold this station right now and figure out what to do now.” Kirok tapped his comm badge. “Skyrunner to Flummox, the self destruct has been aborted. Report to the command center. Skyrunner to Carlsbad, stand down. We have successfully taken control of the station.

Aximo suggested, “Captain, I suggest you let my people hold this station for now. We can assimilate the station and the technology.”

Kirok looked at him. “I believe that is the best bet. Bring your drones onboard the station Aximo.”

Aximo issued the commands to all five hundred drones that already took the Galt class ship, plus its crew. Drones started transporting all throughout the station, taking control of it.