final showdown between the Nemesis and the Horizon

On the bridge of the USS Horizon, Captain Kheren sat forward on his command chair with his elbows on his knees, his well-known fighting stance while commanding his vessel since his early days on the late, great starship Artemis.

"Good work, Mister Snow. Keep us between him and the Polaris. Lieutenant Tyvya, keep him busy."

Barely back at the tactical console, the towering woman would have grinned had her rigid Andorian face allowed her to. but her tone was nevertheless worried.

"Sir, even if it's not a regenerating one like ours, the Nemesis has the thickest armoring of any starship ever. There are even a one meter layer added around every sensitive part of the ship... and her anti-ramming field will repulse torpedoes."

"Just give him something else to think about," Kheren answered. Getting our people back is our priority, not fighting him... but don't tell him that."

"Mister Sisko, status report. How long can we play turtle like that with that heavy siege destroyer?"

"Hull integrity is at 80% and the hull plating is regenerating nicely, Sir. As we continue to get hit, we'll have microfractures coming up on the upper, non-evacuated hull, that need manual attention, so the sooner we get our full crew back, the better! I believe we can hold out against 1 or 2 more salvos like that, without a major hull breach. After that, we'll likely have hull breaches, but only where you already evacuated the crew."

Sisko turned to his Bajoran structural integrity officer Celes Arlana. "Get your team on those microfractures, and get the second and third shift crewmen up if you need to."

"How are the systems coming for shields?" he asked the massive Engineering room in general.

"Shields should be up in another half hour," guessed Bolian Master Warrant Officer, Imjim Andres. He was in charge of repairing the computer systems controlling shield regeneration and refocusing, and the recent attack from the Nemesis had set back his work a bit due to a few EPS conduits blowing across the outside of the Horizon. "I need to get out there and repair those conduits manually," he frowned.

"Get to it. Take whoever you need who isn't already repairing microfractures," replied Sisko. The young officer nodded, grabbed his repair case and hurried out of Engineering. As he was racing out the door, Sisko called after him. "Better make it 15, Imjim!"

Based on the calculation given to the Captain, 30 minutes would be too late.

---

Decoding the message in the transmission,  Lieutenant Elisha Leône noted instructions informing  them to "prepare to dock".

Along with the brief message, was a precise set of coordinates instructing her how to do this while the ship was at full impulse on evasive maneuvers.

They didn't teach this at Starfleet Academy Elisha thought to herself as she swiftly entered the specific coordinates into her console.

"Commander Redding" the Orion officer announced, "We have the docking coordinates along with the requisite coordinates. Just awaiting your word, Sir."

"By all means engage maneuver lieutenant." doubt had just beguine to creep into his plan that they might reach the Horizon before life support failed, and would have consider going the way of Kodos the executioner, better half than none.

He was grateful not to have to make that choice, it was a true no-win scenario.

Then without hesitation, Elisha sent the data to Lieutenant JG Robert Moore manning the helm.

As Moore engaged this fancy maneuvering footwork, Elisha kept her Orion eyes focused on the ship as it responded to the commands.

Her thoughts continued.

Let favor be bestowed upon the foolish

---

Aboard the Nemesis, released from her cell by Tess as Khan was distracted, Snowfire cast her gaze around the brig and then headed for the security console. Oseno had already told her that it was locked down, but right now there were other things on her mind. Her mind cast about, feeling Oseno's reaction to the appearance of the Horizon, and another piece of a rapidly filling puzzle fell into place. And then she reached out again, this time to the most powerful telepath on the Horizon. It was a gentle contact, one that she made in the full awareness that it might not be right, but that still needed to be done.

"Counsellor? Can you pass a message for me to the Captain?" There was no need for her to identify herself. The mind behind the voice was all that another telepath would need. 

On the Horizon, Counselor Lyrya's antennae perked up.

"Captain... Lieutenant K'Leysha is in contact with me."

The dark-skinned Andorian turned his head towards the Aenar, his own antennae lifting on his snowy head.

" Get a status report on her and Commander Oseno. And tell her that we can not transport them off the Nemesis in this nebula and shuttle use is obviously out of the question... especially that there are none on the warship, not even any escape pod left... my fault..."

As the Couselor complied, the Horizon trembled slightly as the formidable pulse phaser canons of the Nemesis struck her regenerative armor.

"Armor down to forty-seven percent!" warned engineer Baoule. "That beast sure packs a wallop!"

"Target her engines only, Lieutenant, " the Andorian captain then said to Tyvya, turning again to look at the screen.

"Captain," protested the towering acting chief of security, "if we target her warp core..."

"We still have people on board, Lieutenant, " Kheren cut sharply. " And this is not just an enemy starship; it is a sentient being. As criminally-minded and dangerous it may be, I will not  use this conflict as a pretext to simply murder it. Do I make myself clear, Lieutenant?"

He was answering Tyvya but in truth he was adressing everyone within earshot. No one spoke further. They had all served with him before; several even remembered his personal conflict with a former chief engineer on the Artemis during the first contact mission with the X'ell a few years back, when Klingon warships savagely contested control over their Dyson shell; they knew Captain Kheren would never, ever sacrifice morality for expediency.

But still, he would do what he had to do to save his people... and the Federation.

" Mister Snow, fly us as close as possible to her hull. Scratch paint if you can."

"Sir, at such close quarters, even our armor will not be that effective," warned the Andorian giantess.

Again, the huge starship trembled, but then there was a longer pause before the next shot rang throughout the armored hull. That underlined Kheren's response.

"Neither will hers, especially againt splash damage from her own souped-up weaponry. It will at least nullify her superior torpedo armament. We need time, people; time for Oseno and K'Leysha to get off that ship... Then, we will have to make sure he will not leave from here... ever."

He turned to the Human doctor sitting in the chair to his left.

"Doctor Lumquist, patch me through to the Polaris; encoded and scrambled."

After a nod from him, Kheren spoke with his eyes still on the screen.

"Polaris, this is the Horizon. In exactly twenty seconds... get ready."

And after those twenty seconds had passed, all the bay doors of the immense vessel opened. The one at the end of the secondary hull was hit by phaser fire from the Nemesis; underneath, the docking bay of the Polaris loomed open right before the approaching escort craft; and from the primary hull shuttlebay came out four class XI shuttlecrafts, spreading in an attack formation to go straight at the warship, phasers and micro torpedoes firing in wild abandon.

"Our Jem'Hadars are on course and providing covering and distracting fire, Sir."

The voice of Tyvya was full of gloom. Kheren nodded.

"We welcomed them as refugees, not as prisonners. So they chose to go as the warriors they were born to be; but it's up to us to make sure it was worthwhile. Polaris! Now!"

If timed as planned, the ramming charge... and unavoidable destruction... of the Jem'hadar-piloted shuttles on the Nemesis from all sides as the Horizon pounded on her would open a one-time window for their escort craft to dock... before it's overtaxed life-support would give out... or the enemy AI could go for the easier prey and kill over a hundred people in one shot from his formidable armament.

And on board the Nemesis, as she contacted Lyrya, the Illythirii science chief of the Horizon looked over at Tess.

"Can you stop Khan from noticing my movement through the ship? And if the doors are locked, can you safely enable it?"

The young girl looked around like a trapped animal as she answered in a whisper.

"I can send your vital signs as an echo inside your cell to make him think you are still there. It has a basic fifty-three percent chance to work as long as he is distracted. but the arrival and challenge of Captain Kheren now is fully distracting him at the moment... Now is your chance for both you and your friend to get off the ship as quickly as you can. If you become yourself a distraction from his now current vengeance posture, he will simply deactivate life support on board and kill you both quickly and effortlessly. That's what... I... did...

For a moment, she went silent, a deep sadness contorting her youthful features. But then she looked up, alarmed again. “There are EVA suits nearby... Your friend can access those on the bridge... Please go, now!"

"Show me the way?" Snowfire asked, relaying her status and the report behind it to Lyrya. But she held out a hand before Tess could start moving. "And Tess? You were scared. And you were also very young, even with hyper-heuristic mode. I know what that combination can be like. And I also know that I can't leave you stuck there." She gestured towards where the computer core was. "Do you know who the third personality coming out of the core is?"

Tess blinked twice.

"There is... another..."

She blinked again.

"Aye, Sir."

And then she looked at the Illythirii with a sudden calmness that was all the more striking with both her appeared age and previous alarm.

"Please follow me, Lieutenant Commander."

A graduate from Starfleet Academy could not have looked straighter. Tess went to the security doors which opened, the forcefield there deactivatingat the same instant on both ends of the hatch-like access. In between she opened a sliding panel and eight combat EVA suits were revealed, neatly stored in what appeared as a changing room.

Tess spoke again, in a most professional manner.

"Once suited up, you will be able to use the emergency escape hatch on the deck above us. Access codes confirmed, evac procedures initiated. Please proceed with alacrity."

***

On the bridge of the Nemesis Oseno Jureth could barley move. Khan had thrown him forcefully into not one, but two durasteel bulkheads and the pain the Bajoran was feeling was intense. He was no doctor, but he was sure he had multiple broken ribs, fractured vertebrae and possibly a concussion as his vision was slightly blurred. He could see that Khan no longer considered him a threat and had abandoned any pretense of forcing him to fire the Nemesis weapons against either the Polaris or the Horizon. In fact, Oseno wasn't even sure Khan knew he was still there as the vengeance filled sentient hologram was completely focused on the two Starfleet vessels on the viewer, and Jureth knew this was going to be his final chance to escape the warship. He also knew there was only one way to do so and had maneuvered himself, crawling, to the bridge escape hatch and EVA suit storage.

Oseno struggled against everything his body was telling him and began to pull one of the suits on over his uniform. Every movement was accompanied by severe pain and several times he thought he might simply black out. He pushed his legs into the suit and slowly, painfully pulled it up over his waist until he could maneuver his arms into the appropriate holes. The worst part was trying to make as little noise, and movement as possible so as not to tear Khan's attention away from its current focus. Finally, inch by excruciating inch he managed to get the EVA suit all the way on and closed up. Then, before putting the helmet on his dulled brain remembered his fellow crew member still aboard. His thoughts were not nearly as organized as they normally would be but he reached out to Snowfire anyway.

"On...bridge...Khan...distracted...going to try to get out..escape hatch..EVA...suit."

Khan was standing in the doorway of the ready room. because Oseno had short-circuited the holoemitters on the bridge, the avatar could not step in and go directly after him. This allowed the injured Bajoran to escape his immediate clutches and allow him to get into the suit without being stopped. That, and the fact that Khan was completely focused on the immense starship out there that dwarfed even his own.

"Kheren... you're still alive my old friend..."

On the speakers, Jureth heard the reply from a familiar voice. And on the main viewer, the image of the USS Horizon was replaced by the dark countenance of her commanding officer.

"I am not your friend, Khan. Release my people. Now."

There came a smirk on Khan's face.

"You are in a position to demand nothing, Sir. I on the other hand will kill them... if you do not surrender to me. Now. And to show that I am true to my word, I will kill one of them."

The image switched to that of the interior of the Nemesis, more precisely, a brig cell where could be seen sitting a dark-skinned, white-haired feminine form.

For a second, Kheren's face went blank. Then, his eyes alone were enough to show the sudden anguish etching his deep voice.

"Wait! Give a chance to talk to..."

On the screen, the image of Snowfire K'Leysha suddenly stood up, hands to her throat. Then she started to shiver and rose up in the air. Floating, she curled up into a ball, turned a deep shade of dark green then shivered one last time and laid still.

In the cold silence that followed, pure lances of hate poured out from the Andorian's silvery eyes. His voice was but a hiss.

"Khan you bloodsucker! You managed to kill just about everyone else but you keep... missing... the target!"

"Oh I've done more that that; I've hurt you. And I wish to go on hurting you..."

And as the holographic entity went on, rambling with what sounded like a recording of his own speeches from Starfleet's historical files, Oseno understood two things; first, although he did not knew how, Snowfire was still alive. He still felt her mental link with him. Second, Captain Kheren must have been aware of it too; what he was doing was obviously luring and locking the computer mind into a pattern. He playing on both the inflated ego of the sentient persona and it's need to assert itself through copied speeches and actions of a long dead man, as well as, using the same recorded speeches, even copying legendary James T. Kirk's peculiar speech pattern, thus enticing the basic prompts of a computer.

It would not work for long... but maybe just long enough for Oseno to escape through the emergency hatch of the bridge... and for Snowfire to also find a way out.

Oseno could only smile, and even that was painful, at the audio loop that Captain Kheren was using to keep Khan occupied. He pulled himself over to the escape hatch and engaged the sequence. A few seconds later the hatch blew open and Oseno tumbled out of it. The environmental suit kept him from the vacuum of space, but Oseno still swore he felt a cold chill as he swallowed his pain and activated the suit's thrusters pointing himself away from the Nemesis and toward the Horizon.

"Captain... I can confirm this with complete accuracy because of the interference of the nebula but... "

Kheren turned towards the black-skinned man at the main science station.

"Mister Baoule?

"One lifesign, Sir... unidentified... but definitely out there..."

The Andorian shot up to his feet.

"Transporters!"

"Inoperative, Sir!" answered the twin brother Baoule from the engineering station. 

"Mister Snow! Is the Polaris back?"

"Manual docking maneuvers in progress, Captain. But with all these evasives we do, it complicates the whole..."

Kheren turned to the medical chair on his left.

"Ship to ship!"

As soon as Doctor Lumquist confirmed that the channel was open, Kheren spoke.

"Polaris, we're sending you the coordinates of one lifesign out there. We can't beam it back. You alone have a chance to retrieve him... or her, quickly enough. We will provide cover."

"Acknowledged Captain, we'll do what we can!" Redding paused thinking over any option he had.

The transporter was not an option and he could not entertain the idea of breaking off the docking sequence, no matter how much he wanted to. He couldn't trade dozens of lives for one.

Kheren could not sit back in his chair. One of his people was out there, possibly injured, possibly dying...Who was floating out there? Oseno? K'Leysha? And what of the other still aboard the enemy vessel?

He looked at Lyrya.

"Snowfire is still aboard," she told him, reading his question easily in his eyes. "She is also prepating to evacuate in a EVA suit."

"Oseno..." concluded the Andorian captain, looking at the nebula-filled screen.

A static discharge flashed accross the blue and red haze of the nebula like a gigantic bolt of lightning, etching starkly the shape of the Nemesis coming straight at them. he wondered then who was most in danger among the two of his officers.

"Helm; keep us belly up between the Nemesis and that lifesign. Tactical; regen armor at maximum on lower hull. Engineering; keep us in one piece. Security, medical and damage control, ready on all lower decks. All hands, evacuate all decks below 40, activate PIDs and brace for impact."

The titanic form of the Horizon then turned majestically sideways right before the bow of the Achilles class warship, placing herself as a colossal shield between the diminutive escort vessel, so close that the Nemesis had to reverse engines fully to avoid collision. But it would not take long for the destroyer to back up far enough to safely open fire again. Already her torpedo ports were opening for a point blank salvo that even the awesome armor thickness of the larger ship would not be able to withstand.

Back on the Polaris, Redding could only come up with one solution. But he only wished that he was the man for the job.

"Moore, would you like to prove your the best pilot in Starfleet?"

Moore blinked at him with for a second with confusion before a Cheshire cat like smile spread over his face.  "Oh bless you sir." and jumped up moving another officer on to the helm. "The docking is automatic, just keep watch." and turned to Redding.

Redding nodded "Transporter room, lock onto Lt. Moore and beam him to the shuttle bay, energize when ready."

Moore was jumpy with excitement. "Don't worry Commander, I'll bring them home." and before Redding could respond he vanished in a transporter haze.

But Redding said it anyway "God speed Mr. Moore."